Ojamajo Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...
1. A Pair of Shooting Stars in the Sky

**("Nininsankyaku" by misono plays)**

In the farthest reaches of deep space...

...a battle was taking place.

Four forces were fighting it out, each one trying to utilize their advantages over the other.

The forces had no humanoid shape, but instead were represented by glowing masses of light.

One was glowing orange, its aura blazing like a fire.

One was glowing blue, its aura rippling like water.

One was glowing brown, its aura steady like the earth.

One was glowing green, its aura breezing like the wind.

In one intense moment, all four of the forces clashed at each other, creating an explosion of immense proportions.

"Is that your best shot?!" the fire force taunted, only to be hit by a blast from the water force.

"Spoke too soon," the water force responded before turning towards the earth force and unleashing a liquid torrent.

The earth force growled before raising its mass to block the attack. "Such insolence!!"

"Why don't you give it a rest?" the wind force shot back, unleashing a cutting wind blast that pushed the earth force back quite a ways.

This seemed to go on for quite a while, all four elemental forces clashing fiercely and cutting quite a swath of destruction through anything that stood in their way.

"STOP THE FIGHTING!!!!" something else exclaimed, causing the four forces to look upwards.

Just a few yards above the four forces...

...was a glowing star.

"I've had enough of this meaningless violence!!!" the star exclaimed, its glow intensifying with each passing second.

Before the four forces could react, the star's glow surrounded all of them, becoming too bright to see properly...

...and causing Nick to shoot out of bed, drenched in a bit of cold sweat.

Taking a quick look around to gauge where he was, he noticed that he was inside Momoko's bedroom, his aforementioned girlfriend sleeping peacefully right next to him. The alarm clock right next to the bed said that it was currently half past three in the morning.

Nick shook his head to clear out some leftover haze from his dream.

"Another dream about them..." Nick muttered. "I've been having weird dreams about those forces ever since they announced the Festival of the Shooting Star... wonder if they're related?"

Deciding to just shake it off for now, he pulled his side of the covers over his body. He was about to fall back to sleep, when all of a sudden...

"_Anyone who hears this message, understand my plea... connect the pearls of rock, sky, fire and sea..."_ Momoko muttered in her sleep. The oddness of this peculiar proclamation was enough to cause Nick to stir and look at his sleeping lover with a confused expression lighting his tree-brown eyes.

"Momoko?" Nick asked, wondering just what was going on. Momoko didn't answer, still trapped in her sleeptalking.

_"When the artifacts come together, the world shall be bright... when the two of legend realize and unite..."_

"Okay, Momoko, you're starting to freak me out a bit..." Nick stated. Still no response from his sleeping girlfriend.

_"Our souls lost within the star of day... those who wish to reject have their say..."_

That was about it for Nick. He reached over and shook his girlfriend a few times. This was enough to get Momoko to return to the waking world.

"Uh... Nick? Is something wrong?" Momoko asked, a bit confused herself.

"I was hoping you could answer that," Nick replied. "You were talking in your sleep again, sweetie... something about the pearls and the star..."

This left Momoko even more confused than before. "Really? You think it's a message?"

"Well, the Festival of the Shooting Star is only two days away," Nick stated. "You and I have been having strange dreams about the legend ever since they announced the festival... Do you think it's connected?"

Momoko let out a loud yawn, thanking the stars that it was just her and Nick in the Asuka household right now, as her parents were currently on vacation.

"How about we mull it over when we're fully conscious?" Momoko asked.

"That's probably a good idea," Nick responded. "We'll probably be able to figure this out when we're awake and not all fuzzled out from our dreams..."

Momoko giggled at this.

"Good night, then, Nick."

With that, both lovers slipped back under the covers and laid their heads down on the extremely soft pillows.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Momoko."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(There may be forces in this world we don't understand, but I believe we make our own miracles.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:

_Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star_

Story Created: May 30th, 2009

Rated: T for Teen (for intense scenes, violence, and intimate moments. Basically, my usual.)

Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...

Author's Note: Well, at long last, here it is! My 100th story! I'm surprised it took me close to seven years to get to this milestone. My reasoning is that I don't like to post just everything that comes into my head willy-nilly. I only like to post good stories, things that I know will attract some readers. Well, enough of my rambling, here's the story!

Disclaimer (since I know I have to put this): I don't own ANYTHING related to _Ojamajo Doremi_, and you people know that. It belongs solely to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their country. There, now you can't sue me for it. Hahaha. I win.

Note: _Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star_ IS the actual title of the story, but I changed it for the site since the whole name wouldn't fit. DAMN IT

Note 2: Yuki Shinoya and her witch apprentice team, who will be appearing in this story, belong to YukiShinoya444. I DO have her permission to use her characters in my stories, just so you know.

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Chapter 1: A Pair of Shooting Stars in the Sky

The next morning, both Nick and Momoko had woken up bright and early, thanking the stars that they were on summer vacation as far as school was concerned.

"Ah... it's so beautiful today..." Momoko stated.

"For once, the weatherman actually got something right," Nick laughed.

Momoko couldn't help but giggle at that.

"Well, I'm gonna go take my shower," Momoko noted. "I'll see you in ten, okay, Nick?"

Nick just nodded, switching on Momoko's (impressively HD) television and tuning to the morning news, highly expecting to see some big news about the Festival of the Shooting Star.

Not surprisingly, he was right.

"That festival's all over the news," Nick noted. "Kinda surprising for an event that only occurs every hundred years."

Nick's mind went back to the dreams he'd been having ever since the people of Misora had announced the arrival of the third centennial Festival of the Shooting Star.

Nick didn't know much about this, though he did understand that the festival was meant to celebrate the legend of four elemental forces that had supposedly created the Misora they lived in today.

He'd even seen a tablet with the very words from the legend itself at the local museum. It was then, around the time that the third festival was announced, that he and Momoko had begun having the mysterious dreams about the four elemental forces.

Nick looked up at the ceiling of the Asuka household, the words of the legend that he knew running through his head.

_"Anyone who knows the message, hear my voice,_

_The four jewels of life connected by choice,_

_The light of the stars, their forces revealed,_

_To the Elemental Ones they must yield..."_

"Why do legends have to be so creepy and vague?" Nick wondered.

"They're just like that," a familiar voice responded.

Nick turned his head, and his jaw nearly dropped.

Momoko was standing there, fresh from her shower, her hair down and wearing nothing but a towel.

Nick tried his best to control his stuttering, but to no avail.

Momoko just giggled, sitting down by Nick. "You don't have to sound so bashful, Nick."

Momoko thought Nick's blush at that moment was so undeniably cute.

"Sorry, Momoko. It's just that I thought I'd be used to it after five years of us being together. It's hard not to be entranced when you look so beautiful..."

"It's okay, Nick." Momoko couldn't help but blush herself after that comment.

Instinctively, Nick reached up to run his fingers through Momoko's soft, water-soaked hair. This simple action caused Momoko to sigh in happiness.

"That feels nice, Nick."

"I'm glad you like it, Momoko."

Nick continued to do this as Momoko turned her attention to the news.

"The festival's in two days," Momoko noted, still quite happy as Nick continued to run his fingers through her smooth blonde locks. She always loved when Nick did that after she'd taken a shower. "People are really getting excited about it."

"I'll admit that I don't know much about the legend," Nick responded. "After all, I wasn't even around when all this elemental stuff happened."

"Most of us weren't," Momoko giggled.

"What I don't understand is why a lot of people are afraid that the dark entity they mentioned in the legends is going to come back and wreck the joint," Nick wondered.

"Because they fear what they don't understand," Momoko explained. "If something confuses people, a lot of times they start to be afraid of it. It's usually like that when it comes to ancient legends."

"I'm sure it is."

Nick looked back at the television, still running his fingers through Momoko's hair. "There's times when I honestly wonder why people put so much stock in these silly legends. Most of them are just rumors, anyway. I wish I knew why people act so preachy when it comes to..."

"Nick?"

"Yes, Momoko?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

With that, both of them leaned towards each other, pressing their lips together passionately.

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**A couple hours later...**

"Hello?" a girl stated, knocking on the door to the Asuka household.

"HEY, MOMO-CHAN, ARE YOU IN THERE?!"

"Jeez, you don't have to shout, Yuki-chan..."

Yuki Shinoya nearly jumped backwards when she saw Momoko, now fully clothed, standing in the doorway.

"AH!!! Sorry, Momo-chan, I didn't know you were there..."

"It's all right, Yuki-chan. Why don't you come on in?"

Yuki nodded, stepping into the Asuka house.

The first thing she noticed was that Nick was fast asleep on the couch.

"He was rubbing your hair again, wasn't he, Momo-chan?" Yuki giggled.

"You know I love when he does that," Momoko responded.

"Saiki-kun hasn't done that to me in a long time..."

"He said he'd be back in time for the festival," Momoko responded. "Trust me, Yuki-chan, there's no WAY Saiki-kun would miss this festival for ANYTHING."

"I know," Yuki stated.

"So, what's up with you lately, Yuki-chan?" Momoko asked.

"I just heard that the others are coming back!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Really?" Momoko asked, quite surprised. "It's been three years!!"

"They said they'll be arriving at the festival on Sunday!! I can't believe they're finally coming back!!" Yuki exclaimed again.

"That's wonderful!! It's gonna be so good to catch up after so long..." Momoko stated.

"I should probably get going now and leave you two lovebirds to your business..." Yuki giggled. "I've gotta get running before okaa-sama flips her lid."

"Ruri-san sure is protective of you, huh?" Momoko wondered.

"To say the least," Yuki responded. "I'll see you at the festival, Momo-chan!!"

Momoko just nodded as Yuki rushed off.

"Well, well. Looks like the festival's going to be pretty interesting after all, huh?" Momoko stated to nobody in particular.

Deciding to tell Nick when he was awake, Momoko walked up to her room to grab her stuff for the festival.

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"It's almost time, isn't it?"

"Their pitiful festival will be our perfect opportunity to strike."

"Just remember the plan. We must actively secure the Pearls before someone tries to stop us."

"What do you mean 'stop us'? None of these pitiful humans has any power to stop us!!"

"Apparently, our centuries of captivity have clouded your mind. I sense a group of young teenagers with extraordinary magical auras. They must be considered a threat to our plans."

"No need to worry. I'll stomp them flat if I run into them!!"

"You go ahead. But do not underestimate them."

"Yeah, yeah..."

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**Two days later...**

Already, the Festival of the Shooting Star was in full swing.

"WHOA!!!!" Yuki exclaimed as she, Nick, and Momoko entered the fairgrounds where they were holding the festival. "Look at all the people here!!"

"Tons of people believe in the Shooting Star legend, Yuki-chan," Momoko stated. "That's why pretty much all of Misora is gonna be here tonight."

"I thought I'd find you three here!!"

The three teenagers spun around, and standing right there was Doremi Harukaze herself.

"DOREMI-CHAN!!!!" Yuki exclaimed, rushing up to hug the pink witch tightly.

"Hey, hey, it's good to see you, too, Yuki-chan," Doremi responded while returning the embrace. "You don't have to hug me to death, though..."

"I usually let her," Poppu, Doremi's little sister, responded, giggling a bit.

"Yuki-chan's always been like that," a softer voice responded, and in walked Hazuki Fujiwara.

"It's good to see you guys," Hazuki stated, walking up to give Nick a hug.

"It's good to see you, too, Hazuki-chan," Nick stated, returning the hug.

"You're still a playboy after all this time, aren't you, Kellysi-chan?" a third voice interjected, belonging to none other than Aiko Senoo.

"I've told you before, Ai-chan," Nick teased. "The proper term is 'charisma'."

"Whatever," Aiko responded, giving Nick a high five. "Still, it's so great to see you guys!!"

"Three years can change people, right?" Nick responded. "By the way, where's Onpu-chan?"

"I'm right here, Kellysi-chan," the voice of Onpu Segawa responded, the purple witch holding a microphone. "I'm going to be singing Misono's 'Nininsankyaku' for tonight's event."

"Still singing after all this time, huh, Onpu-onee-sama?" Yuki giggled.

"Three new singles during the time gap," Onpu explained. "'Purple Daydream', 'Idol Generation', and 'Sun & Moon'."

"She's still got it, doesn't she?" Doremi teased.

"HI, KELLYSI-CHAN!!!!"

Before Nick even knew what was going on, he had been tackled by a very hyper Hana Makihatayama.

"Nice... to see you, too... Hana-chan..." Nick stated while trying not to get squished by the hyper white witch.

"Let Kellysi-chan have some breathing room, okay, Hana-chan?" a new voice asked.

"Sorry, Fami," Hana responded, stepping away to give Nick a chance to regain his posture.

"You're pretty good with her now, huh, Fami-chan?" Nick wondered.

"Spending three years as her surrogate mother will do that to you," Fami Harukaze responded, stepping out from the nearby shadows.

Nick smiled at the reunion until he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder.

Nick spun around and noticed Haruka Reisei standing there, a large blush adorning her features.

"Hi, Kellysi-chan..." Haruka stated softly. Nick knew that Haruka had always had a bit of a crush on him.

"Hey yourself, Haruka-chan," Nick replied, reaching out to hug Haruka.

Just then, Nick's vision went completely blank as a pair of hands covered his eyes. "What the...?!"

"Guess who, Nick?"

"Leaf, get your hands off of my eyes."

Ichiyou Kitakaze couldn't help but giggle at that. "What else could I expect from my future husband?"

That statement made Nick sweatdrop. "Um, Leaf? Momoko's right there, you know."

"You'll never change, will you, Leaf-chan?" Aiko stated.

"Nope!!" Ichiyou giggled. "Never have, never will!!"

"That's so like you, Leaf-chan," another voice interjected.

"Riiko-chan?" Nick wondered. "You made it, too?"

Riiko Izawa just smiled. "You know I wouldn't miss a party like this."

"ARGH!!! Sometimes I hate my agent!!" a new voice exclaimed.

"Sakura-san giving you trouble again, Yumi-chan?" Nick teased.

"To say the least," Yumi Hitoyama responded. "She can be a little odd like that."

Yuki looked over to her side and noticed three girls standing there.

"Good to see you guys again," the first girl, Akemi Suzuki, stated.

"Good to see you guys haven't changed," the second girl, Moriko Takahashi, teased.

"Looks like we've got a real party going on here," the third girl, Kurumi Sayoko, giggled, striking a cute pose.

"How do you like that?" Nick exclaimed. "The gang's all here!!"

"But still no sign of Saiki-kun..." Yuki stated dejectedly.

"Um, I'm right here, Yuki-chan."

"SAIKI-KUN!!!!" Yuki exclaimed, glomping her long-time boyfriend Saiki Shidoosha. "YAY!!!! Now this festival can REALLY get started!!!"

Almost as if on cue, explosions rocked the festival grounds. Nick was the first to notice that four mysterious people decked out in alien-looking black armor had just appeared on the scene.

"You. Go secure the four Pearls. Eliminate anyone that stands in your way," the leader stated to his underlings.

"Oh, great," Nick groaned. "Why, exactly, am I not surprised?"

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Next time:

Chapter 2: Brotherhood of the Shooting Star

Just like that, a mysterious group attacks the festival, and only the Ojamajos will be able to stop them. But when something tragic occurs, how will the Ojamajos deal with the loss?


	2. Brotherhood of the Shooting Star

I look out on this misty world and I see.

I see everything.

One might not think it possible for someone such as myself.

But, after all, I am one of the Elemental Ones. One of the four forces that shaped this very world many millennia ago.

Yet the others who are like me do not understand.

They could never understand.

How could they?

We fought this pointless battle for eons, never stopping, never ceasing.

And what good has come out of it?

The Star emerged and sealed us away.

I am still bitter about that.

Now that I, along with the other forces, are free from our eons of imprisonment, I believe that it is time to exact my revenge on the Star for what he has done to us.

And I will not be denied my vengeance.

No one will stand in my way.

Or they will pay the price for attempting to stop me.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(There may be forces in this world we don't understand, but I believe we make our own miracles.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star  
_Story Created: May 30th, 2009  
This Chapter: July 31st, 2009

Rated: T for Teen (for intense scenes, violence, and intimate moments. Basically, my usual.)

Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...

On Today's Episode: Just like that, a mysterious group attacks the festival, and only the Ojamajos will be able to stop them. When more baddies are released from the Pearls, the Ojamajos finally realize that for once, they may be in way over their heads...

Disclaimer (since I know I have to put this): I don't own ANYTHING related to _Ojamajo Doremi_, and you people know that. It belongs solely to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their country. There, now you can't sue me for it. Hahaha. I win.

Note: _Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star_ IS the actual title of the story, but I changed it for the site since the whole name wouldn't fit. DAMN IT

Note 2: Yuki Shinoya and her witch apprentice team, who will be appearing in this story, belong to YukiShinoya444. I DO have her permission to use her characters in my stories, just so you know.

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Chapter 2: Brotherhood of the Shooting Star

"Damn it, can't you evil freaks just leave us the hell alone?!" Nick exclaimed, already very pissed off. "I'd like to go through JUST ONE FREAKING YEAR without having someone trying to kill us, destroy us, or cover the world in darkness!!!"

"Jeez, Nick-kun, when did your temper get the better of you?" Moriko quipped. "I've never seen you this angry in my life..."

"I'm just completely sick of this!!" Nick responded. "No matter what we do, SOMETHING'S gotta try to kill us!!"

"You kids are lucky that we don't just exterminate you where you stand," one of the four armor-wearing baddies stated. "We have other business to attend to."

Moriko seemed to take offense to this. "WHAT did you just call me, you little son of a bitch?!"

It was just then that Yuki noticed what the four baddies were holding.

And she gasped in horror as she realized what those objects were.

Said objects were four glowing, sphere-shaped jewels, each one glowing radiantly with the color of its respective element.

Green like the sky.

Red like fire.

Blue like the ocean.

Yellow like the earth.

"What's wrong, Yuki-chan?" Aiko asked.

Saiki already seemed to know. "The... Pearls..." Saiki breathed, apparently in shock.

"Yes, you seem to be well informed, night elemental," the second baddie stated. "The Pearls were easy to obtain once we laid waste to that pathetic place you call a museum."

"Now, the time has come to release the great beasts from their prison," the third baddie proclaimed.

"So that the Elemental Ones may return to claim dominion over this unfinished world," the fourth baddie stated.

With that, the baddies held the four Pearls into the air, which promptly began glowing until they released a massive rainbow flash that enveloped the entire festival.

Once the massive light had cleared, the eighteen teenagers all gasped in shock.

"Nick-kun?" Moriko asked, gently gripping Nick's shoulders. "How... how screwed are we?"

"I think we're royally screwed," Nick commented.

Four massive beasts had been released from the now-lifeless pearls.

From the Sea Pearl came a massive blue whale creature with gigantic wings and a four-pronged tail. It had ancient, mystical markings embedded on its wings.

From the Fire Pearl came a gigantic, red, dinosaur-like beast with many ridges across its body, nearly three-foot long claws, and razor-sharp spikes riding down its neck and tail.

From the Sky Pearl came a long, green, wave-skinned dragon with piercing fangs, deep green eyes, and a spiked tail that was digging trenches in the ground just by touching it.

From the Rock Pearl came an red-and-black alien-looking creature with long, lanky arms and a very streamlined appearance. It seemed to be configured for agility and maneuverability.

"Yes!! YES!! The Elemental Ones have been released!!" the baddies chanted.

"Kyogre..." the first baddie stated, holding the Sea Pearl.

"Groudon..." the second baddie stated, holding the Fire Pearl.

"Rayquaza..." the third baddie stated, holding the Sky Pearl.

"Deoxys..." the fourth baddie stated, holding the Rock Pearl.

"Go now, Elemental Ones, and reclaim this unfinished world!!" the four baddies proclaimed.

The four beasts surveyed their surroundings, obviously not used to being out after so long. By now, the crowd was in a panic, realizing that the shadowy parts of the Shooting Star legend had come true.

"Where... where are we?" Kyogre wondered, blinking a couple times as he adjusted to his new surroundings.

"Damned if I know," Groudon responded, waving his claws to regain his mobility.

"Wait. Have we been released? Are we free from our godforsaken prisons?" Rayquaza asked.

"It looks like we are. Not much seems to have changed, though," Deoxys responded, his piercing yellow eyes scanning the fleeing crowd.

"O great Elemental Ones!!" the first baddie proclaimed. "We are your new masters, and we shall lead you to reclaim this unfinished world!!"

Deoxys eyed the baddies questioningly.

"Who are you that would command us?" Deoxys questioned.

"Lowly peons like you have no right to command the Elemental Ones," Groudon roared.

"How DARE you condescend to us?!" one of the baddies exclaimed. "We are the ones who released you from your prison, and you will address us as your leaders!!"

"Do not talk down to us," Kyogre reprimanded. "Apparently, you do not understand the full extent of our powers."

"Perhaps we should give you a... sample of what will happen to this world and all those who will defy us. Deoxys, if you will?" Rayquaza stated.

"With pleasure," Deoxys responded, turning his sights on the baddies. After a few seconds of powering up, Deoxys thrust his hands forward and unleashed a massive wave of psychic energy that utterly and completely obliterated the four armored baddies. The pearls fell from the baddies' remains, all four spheres completely unharmed.

"Did... did... did they just...?!" Yuki exclaimed.

"They did," Moriko quipped. "We're definitely screwed."

At this particular proclamation, Kyogre spun around and set its gaze on the Ojamajos.

"Hmmm... who are these young ones?" Kyogre asked.

"They seem to be quite familiar, but I can not put my finger on it..." Groudon noted.

"Maybe I should fry them like I did those jerks," Deoxys challenged.

"Patience, Deoxys," Rayquaza responded. "I sense powerful magical energy within all of them. You have not regained your full power yet, so taking on someone with that much magical power at this point could be a fatal mistake."

"You've always got to ruin my fun, don't you, Rayquaza?" Deoxys groaned.

"Um... who... exactly... are you?" Hazuki asked, hoping to avoid a confrontation with the powerful creatures.

Deoxys, however, seemed itching to fight, and charged straight at Hazuki before the other Elemental Ones could stop him.

Thankfully, Nick was over there in a flash, slicing viciously with Hanyou Hikari to stop Deoxys' attack.

"Impressive, boy. Only the other Elemental Ones have been able to stop attacks of mine so easily before," Deoxys noted. "You must be the one they spoke of in the legend."

"And if I am?" Nick challenged.

"Then that means I'm going to have fun tearing you into little pieces," Deoxys challenged.

"Oh, why didn't you just tell me you wanted to bring it so badly?" Nick shot back, brandishing Hanyou Hikari.

"Deoxys, that is enough," Rayquaza proclaimed. "I tried to warn you that you would be no match for someone of his caliber in your current state."

"Shut up, Rayquaza!! It's been three thousand years since I've had a good fight!!" Deoxys shot back. "I need to get back into the habit!!"

"He just does not understand, does he?" Kyogre groaned. "Our abilities are not fully restored yet..."

"You know what? To hell with this," Deoxys growled, charging right for Nick, who grinned widely at the prospect of a fight. It'd been a good while since he'd gotten to stomp some bad guys.

"NOW we're talking. _When the world sparkles and the sun retreats to the horizons... Sekai no Hikari, bring forth your light!!_"

With his new weapon gripped tightly in his hands, Nick readied himself for Deoxys' attack.

"PSYCHO BOOST!!!"

"_RAINBOW WAVE!!!"_

The two attacks; Deoxys' a massive burst of psychic power, and Nick's a tornado of spiraling rainbow energy; collided with nearly overwhelming force, knocking all of the Ojamajos to the ground and forcing even the Elemental Ones to take some caution.

"Damn, that IS some incredible power," Rayquaza commented. "It could easily be what we need."

"Not just yet," Groudon replied. "He still has a ways to go before reaching the full limits of his power, but when that time eventually comes, he will learn a lesson and not mess with us anymore."

Nick wasted no time in unleashing another Rainbow Wave that easily stunned Deoxys, giving the green witch his chance to move in for the kill.

"Now eat this, freak show!! _RAINBOW STRIKE!!!!_"

The blade of Sekai no Hikari began glowing with an otherworldly rainbow light as Nick slashed multiple times at Deoxys' prone form, each strike causing some massive damage.

Nick finished it all up with an overhead slash that sent Deoxys careening back to the other Elemental Ones.

"How did you like THAT?!" Nick taunted.

"What did I tell you, Deoxys? You have not fully regained your powers yet, so fighting these kids, with the power they have, would be disastrous," Rayquaza chided.

"I can see that," Deoxys groaned.

"Do any of you want the same butt-kicking I just gave your little friend?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Little boy, you do not understand who you would be dealing with," Kyogre growled.

"We are the Elemental Ones, the very ones who shaped this world eons ago," Groudon continued.

"We have the unbridled power to eliminate you peons where you stand," Rayquaza commented.

"And despite our 'morning haze', as you humans like to put it, we can still use that power!!" Deoxys finished.

Just then, all four of the Elemental Ones began glowing with an eerie light.

"What the heck?" Kurumi asked.

"What are they up to?" Moriko wondered.

"GET DOWN!!!!" Nick exclaimed, knowing full well what the Elemental Ones were about to do.

Once everyone had thrown themselves to the ground, Nick threw up a shield with a good chunk of his power, hoping like hell that this would work.

Not a second later, the energy surrounding the Elemental Ones released itself in the form of an unbelievably large, multi-colored energy wave that Nick knew would do some incredible damage to him and all of his friends had he not put up his shield.

Once the energy wave made contact with Nick's shield, there was nothing but blackness.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"What... the... hell?"

That was pretty much all that was running through Moriko's mind as she regained consciousness. Her body ached, but she didn't see any injuries on her or any of the others. She also noticed that the Elemental Ones had disappeared in the chaos of the immense attack.

Moriko looked upwards; she didn't see Nick's shield anymore.

"Um..."

"That damned energy wave of theirs pretty much destroyed my shield, but it didn't hurt any of us," Nick explained.

"You and your impeccable timing, huh, Nick-kun?" Moriko giggled.

"What can I say? It's apparently a gift," Nick responded, laughing a bit.

A loud, pained, and desperate scream caught everyone's attention. All of the Ojamajos spun around rapidly, trying to get a bead on the source of the disturbance, but Nick was the first to notice the source: Yuki had fallen to her knees, holding her hands to her head in agony.

But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was that an incredibly vicious dark aura was surrounding her, the mere presence of the aura starting to create cracks in the ground, the overwhelming force of the darkness snapping many nearby inanimate objects in half.

"Yuki-chan, what's the matter?!" Doremi exclaimed, wondering just what the hell was happening.

Yuki couldn't say anything, the pain in her mind far too great for her to comprehend anything.

But Nick knew.

He knew what was happening.

"That's not good..." Nick growled. "Her dark powers are out of control..."

"WHAT?!!" Doremi exclaimed. "Why is that?!"

"Probably due to that energy influx from when those weirdos tried to vaporize us..." Nick pondered.

Saiki immediately rushed over to his girlfriend's side, but a massive pulse from her raging dark aura forced him back.

Nick them made it a point to give it a try himself. Surprisingly, as he got close to Yuki, her raging aura didn't knock him away. Odd, huh?

"Yuki-chan, are you okay?" Nick asked.

"Please... someone... stop this madness..." Yuki cried out, trying not to let the full force of her dark powers overwhelm her.

Suddenly, Nick had an idea. He began waving his hands around like he would when he was casting a spell.

"I'm gonna try something here, Yuki-chan," Nick stated, his hands beginning to glow with a white light. "Don't hit me for this, okay, Saiki-kun?"

Nick concentrated on the task at hand, hoping that this would do the trick.

"_Asobu soba de sakiyaki sore!! PURIFICATION!!!"_

A massive flash of light surrounded Yuki, and when it cleared, the black witch's dark aura had receded to a bearable level.

"Presto!!!" Nick exclaimed, only for Yuki to rush into his arms the very next second.

"Oh, Nick-kun... I was... I was so scared..." Yuki cried. "I thought I was going to die..."

"It's okay, Yuki-chan... it's okay..." Nick responded, returning Yuki's embrace and comforting his childhood best friend as best he could.

Momoko smiled at the cute sight, easily understanding the bond that Nick and Yuki shared as childhood friends.

All of a sudden, everything around Momoko turned completely black.

"What the heck?" Momoko wondered, but before she could demand the source of this darkness to show itself, a voice resounded in her mind.

**You are the one connected to the light prophet, are you not?**

_Light prophet? Are you talking about Nick?_

**You have already seen the effects.**

_Effects? Exactly what are you taking about, strange voice thingy?_

**It is something you could not ever hope to understand. I mean no offense, young one, but the force approaching is more powerful than all eighteen of you combined. But there is a hope.**

_What exactly do you mean? You're not making much sense._

**Now that the Elemental Ones have been released, there are four people whose destinies will be tied to that of the Shadow. The light prophet, the one you call Nick. The twilight princess. The prince of the night. And you, the golden goddess.**

_You're flattering me here, but what is this Shadow you're talking about?_

**That is not for me to tell you. But I can at least warn you about this: you noticed how the twilight princess' dark powers raged out of control back there? That may happen to her again.**

_But how? Why is Yuki-chan's dark power going berserk on her like that?_

**It is another effect of the Shadow's machinations. Even now, the cursed abomination is spreading its veil across the world, starting with your beloved city. The Shadow's veil is small now, but if left unchecked, it will grow and consume everything until there is nothing.**

_Isn't there some way we can put an end to this? I don't want my home to be destroyed!!_

**Again, that is not for me to say. But there is another danger that I must warn you about. The twilight princess is being forced away from the prince of the night and towards the light prophet.**

_You mean she's starting to fall in love with Nick and not Saiki-kun? Yuki-chan practically worships Saiki-kun, so how would that be possible?_

**Sadly, another curse of the Shadow's veil. Her devotion to both the light prophet and the prince of the night is undying, but the Shadow is trying to destroy both of these bonds by first destroying her bond with the prince of the night, forcing her into the arms of the light prophet, then by shattering her bond with the light prophet. It knows that the power the twilight princess holds is very immense. The Shadow wants that power for itself.**

_So, what can I do about this?_

**You must watch the three carefully. Make sure that both of the twilight princess' bonds are kept stable. For if either of them were to break, it could be catastrophic to her.**

_I'm not sure I completely understand, but I'll try my best._

**That is all I can ask. Do you best, and you will be able to halt the Shadow's machinations.**

And just like that, the voice was gone, and Momoko was back in Misora with the rest of the Ojamajos.

_That was weird,_ Momoko thought to herself. _But with the things we've all been through, I shouldn't be surprised. I guess we need to keep our eyes out for this Shadow's veil thingy._

Momoko looked over at the embracing Nick and Yuki, then towards the confused Saiki.

_For once, I think we're in way over our heads._

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Next time:

Chapter 3: Meeting Again in Other Worlds Than These

With the mysterious voice's message still fresh in her mind, Momoko tries to prepare the rest of the Ojamajos for the coming darkness, but Yuki will question her bonds when a servant of the Shadow puts her through a strenuous event that will test her loyalty to both Nick and Saiki...


	3. Meeting Again in Different Worlds

Why do they not understand?!

Those accursed elemental beasts, who savor nothing but the remaking of the world at their own hands.

How could they ever understand?

They thirst for power, for self-satisfaction, and nothing more.

And yet, powerful as they are, they could not possibly understand the level of destruction the Shadow will bring if he is left unchecked.

And yet...

I sense a great power, dwarfing that of the Elemental Ones.

A power that will be able to halt even that of the Shadow.

I sense it in one of the teenagers that have gathered at the focal point of the Elemental Ones' awakening.

She is a very special girl, indeed.

And she has formed very special bonds with two boys in particular.

Her twilight bond with the prince of the night.

Her sunset bond with the light prophet.

And the friendship she shares with all of these young women.

All the players are coming together, it would seem.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(There may be forces in this world we don't understand, but I believe we make our own miracles.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star  
_Story Created: May 30th, 2009  
This Chapter: January 7th, 2010 (Yeah, I don't know what took me so long. So what?)  
Rated: T for Teen (for intense scenes, violence, and intimate moments. Basically, my usual.)  
Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...  
On Today's Episode: With the mysterious voice's message still fresh in her mind, Momoko tries to prepare the rest of the Ojamajos for the coming darkness, but Yuki will question her bonds when a servant of the Shadow puts her through a strenuous event that will test her loyalty to both Nick and Saiki...

Disclaimer (since I know I have to put this): I don't own ANYTHING related to _Ojamajo Doremi_, and you people know that. It belongs solely to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their country. There, now you can't sue me for it. Hahaha. I win.

Note: _Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star_ IS the actual title of the story, but I changed it for the site since the whole name wouldn't fit. DAMN IT

Note 2: Yuki Shinoya and her witch apprentice team, who will be appearing in this story, belong to YukiShinoya444. I DO have her permission to use her characters in my stories, just so you know.

Note 3: I hope Yuki-chan doesn't get angry at me for the events of this chapter.

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Chapter 3: Meeting Again in Different Worlds

_What, exactly, was that all about? I know that whoever was talking to me spoke the truth, but that didn't stop me from getting freaked out. What IS this "Shadow" that it was talking about?_

"Momoko?"

The yellow witch nearly jumped at the sudden sound of her boyfriend's voice.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, you just kinda startled me there," Momoko responded.

"Everything okay, sweetie?"

With that, Momoko explained everything she'd learned from the mysterious voice.

"So, this time, we're facing a 'Shadow' that literally has the power to destroy this whole freaking universe," Nick summarized. "Yeah, I've had worse days."

"Don't I know how that feels," Momoko giggled.

"The REAL question I have is pretty much what we're gonna have to do to keep Yuki-chan's bonds from being broken by this Shadow thing..." Nick mused, staring over at Yuki, who was brushing some dust off of her skirt.

"Believe me, Yuki-chan can be really scary when she's angry, and I have no freaking clue what the Shadow's going to try to do to make her like that..."

Nick looked around; not much had been touched. Then again, they were in a very open area, which didn't leave much to be wrecked by the Elemental Ones' surprise attack earlier.

"Jeez, that was an ordeal," Yuki stated, turning back to Saiki. "But at least we're okay, right, Saiki-kun?"

Saiki just nodded, still trying to run the Elemental Ones through his encyclopedic mind in hopes of coming up with a useful connection.

Just then, from completely out of nowhere, a pulse shot through Yuki's head. She gasped in shock, closed her eyes, and fainted to the ground, all in the space of five seconds.

"What the...?!" Saiki exclaimed.

"YUKI-MAMA!!!" Hana screamed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wh... what the hell? Where is everything here? And, um, exactly where am I?_

**I see.**

_What the...? Who the heck are you?!_

**I see you, twilight princess.**

_What do you mean?_

**Do not play games with me. I know of your mysterious power, and I know there is a way to acquire it for my own ambitions.**

_Ambitions? Are you this Shadow thing?!_

**Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. That's really all up to you.**

_Stop talking nonsense!!_

**For once, good point. I come for something much more valuable. Now, there is something I want you to consider. Who, of these two boys woven into your destiny, is the most precious to you?**

_Saiki-kun, of course!!! He's my soulmate!!_

**And what of the other boy, the light prophet?**

_How about you shut up?! Nick-kun's special to me, too!! Don't you go throwing around such idiotic accusations!!_

**I make no accusations, young princess of twilight. But now I know what I must do. Your twilight power is sealed away, locked tight by two very strong bonds you have no idea you've formed. But, unfortunately for you, I know how to break one of those bonds.**

_Just what the hell are you talking about?!_

**Prepare yourself. There is nowhere left for you to run. My power may be drained enough for even your full power to abolish, but once I break this bond of yours, that won't really be an issue.**

_Hey!! Get out of my head!! STOP IT!!! LET GO OF ME!!!!_

**You should have just surrendered your power when you had the chance, little girl. You should have kept your guard up. Now, your bond is as good as destroyed. Now, you are MINE.**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Saiki was the first to breathe a sigh of relief when Yuki woke up.

"You okay, Yuki-chan?" Saiki asked.

Yuki nodded as she picked herself up.

"I should be, but..."

What Yuki said next nearly paralyzed everyone else.

"...who exactly are you?"

Saiki looked like he was about to faint.

"Yuki-chan, seriously. It's me, Shidoosha Saiki!! I'm supposed to be your _boyfriend_!!"

Yuki just tilted her head.

"Sorry, but I don't think I've met you before."

"Are you feeling okay, Yuki-chan?" Nick asked, a little confused as to what was going on.

Yuki nodded again.

"I don't feel any different, Nick-kun. Just a little wobbly from whatever just happened..."

Yuki walked up and hugged Nick.

"But thanks for worrying about me."

Nick returned the embrace, suddenly realizing what had just happened.

_I should have known. The Shadow broke her bond with Saiki-kun... this is bad,_ Nick thought, _this is so very freaking bad. That's why Saiki-kun is the only one she apparently forgot. Her bond's not there anymore, so how COULD she remember?_

Nick cast a worried glance over at Momoko, who also seemed to have realized what had just happened to Yuki. It was then that Nick realized something even more horrifying: only Momoko and Nick knew of the Shadow and what it had done to Yuki.

Nick cast a cursory glance at Saiki, who seemed to be shaking with barely-constrained rage, but Nick couldn't blame him.

Nick released his hold on Yuki and walked up to the night elemental, hoping to avoid violent retribution.

Saiki looked like he was going to snap at any minute.

Nick forced down a gulp, hoping beyond hope that he could do this without getting pummeled.

"Okay, Saiki-kun, let me explain before you..."

_"MAKURAYAMI!!!!!"_

Fate, however, was not kind to the green witch.

Saiki had his palms aimed at Nick faster than he ever thought possible, unleashing an incredibly mighty blast of Makurayami that sent Nick reeling, slamming him harshly into a nearby building, the force of the impact nearly causing Nick to carve a crater into the building's wall.

"Arrogant bastard," Nick spat before recovering himself.

"This is all YOUR FAULT, isn't it?!!" Saiki exclaimed, his now unrestrained dark power raging to life around him. "Just what in the world were you THINKING?!!!"

"Saiki-kun, if you'd just let me explain before you go shooting your mouth off..." Nick stated, only to be forced back against the cracked wall by another immensely powerful Makurayami spell, this one nearly destroying the building. It was a miracle that the building was still standing after TWO high-powered attacks.

And then Saiki fired off a third Makurayami, this one enveloping Nick and exploding, taking the entire building with it.

No one made a move, too shocked at what Saiki had just done. Momoko was just staring in total shock at the ruins of the building.

All of a sudden, the rubble began to shine with a soft yellow light.

**("Xenosaga Episode I – Last Battle" by Yasunori Mitsuda plays)**

"Um... I think we'd better move, you guys," Momoko stated, knowing what was about to happen. The rest of the Ojamajos followed Momoko's advice and retreated to a safe distance as the golden light grew brighter and the building's rubble began to shake. Saiki stood his ground, still enraged and his dark energy still fierce around him.

After a few more seconds, the bright gold light exploded outward, throwing the rubble in many directions. When the dust and debris cleared, it revealed Nick floating there in mid-air, his hair spiked up and golden yellow, his eyes a sharp emerald green, and a fierce golden energy aura flaring around him. And Momoko didn't even need to look at Nick to know that he was pissed.

"You're NOT LISTENING TO ME, Saiki-kun!!! Get over your little rage-fest, calm down, and LET ME EXPLAIN!!!!" Nick shouted, hoping to knock some sense into the enraged night elemental.

"HOW ABOUT YOU SHUT UP?!!" Saiki screamed. _"MAKURAYAMI!!!!"_

Saiki then shot off a fourth Makurayami spell, making Kurumi wonder why Saiki wasn't exhausted yet. He had once told the gray witch that using his Makurayami spell often took quite a lot of energy, so much so that he couldn't use it as often as he wanted.

Kurumi then realized it was probably due to the fact that Saiki had just unleashed his full dark power, which Nick had once admitted dwarfed even the green witch's own full strength.

Nick, however, simply swatted this fourth Makurayami away easily with his newfound strength, leaving it to crash harmlessly in the forest outside the festival grounds.

"Okay, Saiki-kun, NOW you're starting to piss me off," Nick growled. "Stop trying to kill me for a second and LET ME EXPLAIN THINGS!!!!!"

"What is there to explain?!!" Saiki shot back, his aura flaring fiercely with each word he spoke. "I KNOW this is all your fault!!! You somehow made Yuki-chan forget who I am!!! DON'T BOTHER DENYING IT!!!!!"

"Will you listen to yourself?!!" Nick exclaimed. "Your rage-roasted mind is fabricating the stupidest lies I've ever heard!!! Now GET OVER YOURSELF so I can explain what really happened!!!!"

"LIAR!!!!" Saiki screamed, not even realizing that his flaring temper was scaring the hell out of Yuki. "YOU'RE LYING TO ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!!"

Saiki flung his hands towards Nick. _"Kurai Kairai!!!"_

Dark strings shot from Saiki's fingertips and latched onto Nick before he could react. As Nick struggled against the puppetry of the darkness, Saiki swung his hands around, directing the trapped Nick around in circles before brutally slamming him into the ground.

"Now you'd better fix what you did to Yuki-chan before I actually DO decide to kill you!!!" Saiki exclaimed, his aura fiercer than ever before.

"THAT'S IT!!!!!" Nick screamed, rising into the sky and throwing his arms out, the motion causing his own energy aura to explode outwards violently, lighting up the night sky. "I've officially had it up to here with you!!! I hoped I could reason with you, but you're being too much of an arrogant, thick-headed son of a bitch to even listen to me properly!!! So I guess I have to BEAT it into you now, don't I?!"

"I dare you to try," Saiki challenged.

And that was it for Nick's rather short patience. The powered-up green witch floated down a bit so that he was level with Saiki, then shot forwards at nearly blinding speeds, appearing to have phased out of existence for a second to everyone else.

Nick lashed out with a powerful spinning kick that Saiki easily blocked before retaliating with a whiplash of dark energy. Nick spun around to deflect it, then responded by slamming a ball of energy into the ground in front of Saiki, the impact propelling the night elemental into the air where he was grabbed by Nick and flung into the sky.

Neither of the two teenagers noticed the rather large crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle.

"I'm starting to get sick of you by now, Saiki-kun," Nick growled. "You NEVER FREAKING LISTEN TO ME, EVER!!!! When are you gonna learn that I'd never want to cause ANY harm to Yuki-chan?!! She's as precious to me as you are to her!!!"

"LIAR!!!" Saiki screamed back. "DON'T LIE TO ME!!!!"

"Will you get a hold of yourself?!!" Nick exclaimed, shaking Saiki violently and hoping to knock some sense into the night elemental. "Your mind is so roasted by your pointless rage, it's starting to fashion the most idiotic ideas I've ever heard in my life!!! Will you stop acting all high and mighty and listen to me for once in your freaking life?!!"

Nick was answered with a point-blank blast of Makurayami to the face, so powerful that it knocked him out of the sky effortlessly. Nick quickly regained his balance before he hit the ground, still floating there in mid-air, suddenly feeling really glad that he could fly somewhat in his super form.

"You're going to pay for that," Nick growled before letting out a mighty roar and blasting forward once again, channeling energy into his hands as he rushed towards Saiki.

Saiki tried firing yet another blast of Makurayami, but it failed, as Nick seemingly disappeared before the blast could hit.

Saiki quickly threw out his senses and tried to detect Nick, though he wasn't having any luck. It was like Nick had completely disappeared.

Thinking he sensed something behind him, Saiki whipped around and shot a blast of dark energy, though it didn't hit anything.

"Where are you, you little bastard?!!" Saiki exclaimed.

Saiki turned back to his original position, only to see Nick right there, holding a ball of energy straight at his face.

"Let's see if THIS shuts you up, you arrogant little jerk!!!"

Saiki couldn't react quickly enough at such point-blank range, and the ball of energy in Nick's hand erupted into an immense aura blast that slammed into him quite brutally, knocking the night elemental back to the ground.

Nick wasted no time in rushing forward, performing a rising vertical kick that sent Saiki reeling into the air again. The green witch followed this up with a flurry of attacks before slamming his elbow into Saiki's stomach, effortlessly dazing the night elemental.

Nick then flew up into the air and began channeling energy again.

"Take THIS!!!!" Nick screamed, thrusting his hands down at the stunned Saiki and unleashing another aura blast straight downwards that ripped at Saiki, forcing him back into the ground.

But just as Nick was about to charge again...

"Um... hello? JEEZ, otouto-chan, what in god's name happened to you?"

Nick easily recognized the owner of that voice: none other than Akatsuki Shidoosha.

Though Doremi wanted to go over there and hug the hell out of Akatsuki, the pink witch could still sense the tension that hung in the air and decided to stay put so as not to ignite another conflict.

"Don't call me that, onii-chan," Saiki shot back as Akatsuki walked up to him.

"Hold still, otouto-chan. Let me fix you up," Akatsuki stated.

It was then that Nick floated down, his own temper still flaring.

"Could you move, Akatsuki-kun?" Nick asked.

"Not right now, Kellysi-kun. I'm trying to fix my otouto-chan up," Akatsuki responded, noting the slight blush that formed on the now-calmed Saiki's cheeks.

"Seriously, onii-chan, you're making me blush here..."

"I said GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!!" Nick shouted, wasting no time in swatting Akatsuki aside and causing both Saiki and Doremi to gasp in complete shock.

Saiki's powerful dark aura instantly flared right back to life after his mind registered what Nick had done.

"You're going to regret that, you son of a bitch!!!!" Saiki exclaimed, channeling more of his dark energy.

Momoko groaned. So everything was right back where it had began. Great.

"Try me, you bastard!!!" Nick shot back, charging up his own energy.

Nick and Saiki fired their attacks, Saiki's another Makurayami and Nick's an Ojamajo Arrow of Light, at more or less the same time. Both energy attacks slammed harshly into each other and exploded, the force of the blast wave knocking the rest of the Ojamajos to the ground. Thankfully, no one else had been hurt.

"Someone's gotta stop those two before they destroy the whole freaking city!!!" Aiko exclaimed.

"I doubt anything's gonna be able to stop Nick-kun," Moriko responded. "Once he loses his temper, nothing in the world's going to stop him. And boy, is he pissed..."

"WILL YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF?!!"

That outburst from Yuki was enough to finally stop the quarrel between Nick and Saiki, as the green witch and the night elemental both turned to look at the black with in stunned surprise.

"It's not worth it!!! You two don't have to fight over me!!!" Yuki exclaimed, nearly in tears.

It nearly broke Saiki's heart to see his girlfriend crying like this.

However, in his sudden grief, Saiki didn't even notice Nick charging at him.

"You're wide open, you son of a bitch!!!"

Nick quickly summoned Hanyou Hikari and performed a mighty slash before Saiki could react, the blade of Nick's weapon tearing a painful-looking gash in Saiki's chest.

The night elemental fell back, obviously injured by the blow, but Nick still came back for more, this time slamming Hanyou Hikari's blade deep into Saiki's shoulder, causing the night elemental to cry out in pain.

"Yeah, how's it feel?!" Nick screamed. "Maybe now you'll stop fabricating IDIOTIC LIES about me!!!"

Nick wrenched Hanyou Hikari out of Saiki's shoulder, this motion only adding to the night elemental's injuries.

_That's about it,_ Momoko thought. _I've gotta get over there and stop those two before they tear each other to shreds. Even during the five years we've been together, I've NEVER been able to curb Nick's short patience. Que sera, sera, I guess..._

Her mind made up, Momoko rushed towards the two quarreling boys.

"You know what? I'm just about through with you," Nick stated, rushing towards Saiki one more time.

"Sweet dreams, Saiki-kun!!!"

"STOP IT!!!! BOTH OF YOU!!!!"

Nick stood there, quite frozen from Momoko's sudden outburst.

As quickly as it had started, Nick's temper dissipated. He looked over at Momoko, expecting her to be angry, but was slightly relieved to see a smile that clearly stated _'It's okay.'_

Nick looked over at the injured Saiki. He held out his hand, which seemed to freak out the rest of the Ojamajos.

_"Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

In an instant, all of Saiki's wounds had been healed.

"You're lucky I'm even doing that for you," Nick growled before he rushed off, Yuki not too far behind.

Momoko just stared into the distance, unsure of what to say.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Next time:

Chapter 4: Is Time Supposed to Lie?

Not sure what to do after nearly killing Saiki, Nick wanders through Misora with Yuki by his side, only to be drawn into battle with the first of the Elemental Ones. However, he quickly realizes that if he doesn't make amends with Saiki soon, all hell is going to break loose in Misora, and this time, he may not be able to stop it...


	4. Is Time Supposed to Lie?

Did you feel that?

The shockwaves emanating from those two.

It was just like what happened at the Brink those many millennia ago.

No, do not think of the Brink... I never wish to relive that disastrous event...

Hmm... you do not know of the Brink incident? Then I shall tell you.

It was many millennia ago, during the time of the prophets.

The Brink was not well known back in that time, but there were some people who knew its capabilities... and the danger it presented to the world.

According to the legends of the olden days, the Brink was situated at the very center of the world, thus holding its pillars together.

If any of those pillars were to have been shattered, the consequences would have been quite scary.

The reason I am so frightened of the shockwaves that these two boys have given off... is because it reminds me of what happened at the Brink that time.

The ancients... the light prophet and the prince of the night came to blows over the girl they loved...

...and...

...there, at the Brink...

...was where the Shadow fell.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(There may be forces in this world we don't understand, but I believe we make our own miracles.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star  
_Story Created: May 30th, 2009  
This Chapter: March 23rd, 2010  
Rated: T for Teen (for intense scenes, violence, and intimate moments. Basically, my usual.)

Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...

On Today's Episode: Not sure what to do after nearly killing Saiki, Nick wanders through Misora with Yuki by his side, only to be drawn into battle with the first of the Elemental Ones. However, he quickly realizes that if he doesn't make amends with Saiki soon, all hell is going to break loose in Misora, and this time, he may not be able to stop it...

Disclaimer (since I know I have to put this): I don't own ANYTHING related to _Ojamajo Doremi_, and you people know that. It belongs solely to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their country. There, now you can't sue me for it. Hahaha. I win.

Note: _Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star_ IS the actual title of the story, but I changed it for the site since the whole name wouldn't fit. DAMN IT

Note 2: Yuki Shinoya and her witch apprentice team, who will be appearing in this story, belong to YukiShinoya444. I DO have her permission to use her characters in my stories, just so you know.

Note 3: I'm going to tell you all right now that no matter how erratic the updates are for this story, I WILL see it through to the end. In Nick's immortal words, "That's a promise!!"

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Chapter 4: Is Time Supposed to Lie?

_What in the hell just happened to me?!_ Nick thought, all of his anger from the previous scuffle gone as he continued to wander through Misora, reflecting on what had just happened during his scuffle with Saiki.

_Please do not tell me I wailed on him again,_ Nick thought, panic beginning to set in. _Yuki-chan nearly killed me the last time that happened..._

Nick looked back at Yuki, who had been following him ever since he'd started wandering. _The only reason she's not doing that now is because the Shadow broke their bond... She doesn't even know who he is..._

Nick cast his gaze into the starry sky. _Lovers forgetting that they even had love... Momoko told me that this was one effect of the Shadow's veil..._

"Nick-kun?"

Nick turned around at that. Yuki had her hands tucked behind her back and a comforting smile on her face; something Nick thought was incredibly cute, even if he didn't know where that thought came from.

"What exactly happened back there? You really seemed angry at that boy..."

_Touché, Saiki-kun._ "Well... long story short, he said some things that REALLY got on my nerves. And you of all people know how short my patience is."

"You kicked his butt pretty badly..."

"That's because I lost control of my powers."

Yuki tilted her head a bit. "What? That seems so weird coming from someone like you, Nick-kun..."

Nick just shook his head. "I haven't told anyone this, not even Momoko, but I've got a tremendous amount of power dormant inside of me. And trust me, Yuki-chan, it's pretty scary when I lose control of it. In that state, every last drop of that power is swimming through my body. You know how hard it is to keep a calm state of mind when my full, unrestrained power is constantly cycling through my body? Trust me, it's impossible..."

"You're supposed to be a light prophet, right? Like the one who faced the Shadow all those millennia ago?" Yuki asked. "Your power is mostly light in nature, right? So how could it overwhelm you so easily?"

Nick looked back at the night sky. "The Shadow's veil is destabilizing EVERYTHING, Yuki-chan. Usually, when I say I'm unleashing my full power so I can beat some dark creepoid into submission, I always hold back just enough so that I can utilize my full strength without being overwhelmed by it. Like I've already said, Yuki-chan, my full power is pretty scary when I'm not able to control it."

Nick launched head-long into a flashback he'd rather not think about at the moment. "That boy's got some unbelievable strength, too."

"Is he a friend of yours?"

"Kinda, though probably not anymore after what just happened. He's got dark powers, just like you. The only problem is that he doesn't have another element to balance it out, like your twilight power. See, he knows about his dark power and how unstable it can get if he loses control of it. So, he rarely if ever uses his power. During that scuffle, we kinda got angry at each other for a reason I'd rather not disclose. So, basically, he got angry at me and unleashed his own full power, which I hate to admit is so much stronger than my own."

Yuki nodded. "That seems kinda scary, huh?"

"If only you knew..."

Yuki walked up and hugged Nick. Instinctively throwing out his aura senses, Nick could sense waves of a very familiar pink emotion emanating from Yuki. He knew what that meant; Nick had learned from Momoko that due to the fact that one of Yuki's bonds was shattered, her love and devotion would be transferred to the person with the bond that was still there.

Namely, Nick himself.

In short, since her bond with Saiki was gone, Yuki was starting to fall in love with Nick.

Nick honestly didn't know how he was going to handle that; even though he and Momoko were an item, Nick really liked Yuki. He sincerely hoped that there weren't going to be any problems with this.

"You seem a bit tense, Nick-kun..."

"Because this whole Shadow business is something I'm not really used to... I mean, I'm used to all the creepoids that we fight on a daily basis... even Morticon wasn't this much trouble. But knowing that we're up against something that can rewrite the laws of the world if we don't stop it... that is pretty damn scary, if you want my opinion."

"I can help you calm down, if you want."

Before Nick could even protest, Yuki had connected her lips with his, pouring quite a bit of passion into the liplock.

Both sides of Nick's mind were fighting each other, not sure what to do about this sudden sensation.

_Fight it, Nick!! You don't want things to get worse... but she tastes so sweet... just like... stop thinking like that, Nick!! You've got to... to..._

But as Yuki deepened the kiss, both sides of Nick's rational mind seemed to fall apart under the pressure, and he wrapped his arms around Yuki's waist in order to deepen the kiss further.

After about a minute, the two disengaged their liplock, a bit exhausted.

"That... was nice," Yuki breathed.

"Yes, it was," Nick responded.

"Well, well, isn't this romantic?"

Nick and Yuki immediately spun around at this particular proclamation.

Standing there, glowing with a bright ruby light, was Groudon, Deity of the Earth, the first of the Elemental Ones that had been recently released from their prison in the Four Pearls.

"You can imagine my surprise when I find the twilight princess and the light prophet in a romantic gesture. Shouldn't you be with the prince of the night instead, little girl?"

"I don't think you understand what's going on here," Nick shot back, instantly summoning Hanyou Hikari and bringing it into fighting stance. "Just why are you working for the Shadow?!"

"Have you even looked around at this pitiful, pathetic world we're living in right now?" Groudon answered. "Chaos disguised by false order. It is a world that must not be allowed to live."

"But you're planning on destroying billions of innocent lives in the process!!!" Nick screamed. "Did you factor any of THAT into your sick little plans?!"

"Little boy, you know not your place. I am one of the Elemental Ones, the beings who shaped this rotten world!! We are the only ones who have the right to pass judgment on the very world we created!!"

"Personally, I think you're crazy for believing such nonsense. The Shadow is far beyond the powers you could EVER hope to wield!!" Nick stated, gripping his weapon tightly, ready to strike at a moment's notice. "If the Shadow is released, even YOU won't be able to remake the world!! Everything will be destroyed, gone, annihilated!!! Don't you get that?!"

"I'm starting to think that you don't share our vision of a better world."

"Because if you allow the Shadow to free itself, there won't BE a world to make right!!! Why won't you listen to me?!"

Nick thrust Hanyou Hikari into the air, and its blade began glowing with a bright light.

"It's time I got serious. _When the world sparkles and the sun retreats to the horizons... Sekai no Hikari, bring forth your light!!!_"

Once Nick's weapon had transformed, he aimed himself right at Groudon.

"You seem to be stuck on your idiotic little ideals," Nick stated. "And people call _me_ stubborn... well, let me remind you what's at stake here, you son of a bitch!! _RAINBOW WAVE!!!_"

Nick wasted no time in slamming Sekai no Hikari into the ground. This motion unleashed a massive tornado of rainbow energy that went spiraling straight at Groudon, rather easily knocking him over.

"Little brat... such insolence will not be tolerated!!!"

Groudon picked himself up, and began chanting in a mysterious language. As he did so, rings of glowing boulders began circling him.

"Let us see if THIS shuts you up!!!"

Groudon quickly flung the boulders straight at Nick and Yuki, who made every attempt to dodge the attack.

"Jeez, this guy's annoying!!!" Yuki exclaimed. "Guess it's time I evened the odds. _Snap, Tobiume!!!_"

When Yuki's weapon had transformed, she stood by Nick's side, ready to fight.

"Let's do this, Nick-kun," Yuki stated in a voice that was half romantic and half ready-for-action.

"My thoughts exactly," Nick responded. Not saying anything more, Nick and Yuki brandished their weapons and charged towards Groudon.

"Why do you shun our new world?!" Groudon shouted, aiming another Ancientpower attack straight for the two witches.

"Because what you're working for is gonna destroy EVERYTHING if it's released!!!" Yuki shot back, slashing at Groudon's side.

"But only through destruction can there be rebirth. Surely you understand that."

Nick just groaned. "I'm getting sick of this freak by now, Yuki-chan. What say we finish him off?"

Yuki nodded happily, readying her weapon as they both hopped to opposite sides of the Deity of Earth.

Not wasting any time, Nick and Yuki slammed their weapons into the ground, creating a glyph under Groudon that erupted into a geyser of energy that slashed mercilessly at him.

The two of them wasted no time in zipping forward. Once they'd gotten close enough to Groudon, Yuki hopped to the other side as they readied their assault.

"_Together as one!!"_ Nick chanted.

"_As it always should be!!"_ Yuki chanted.

With that, Nick and Yuki both started attacking, slashing at Groudon in synchronized movements before stepping back and charging straight at the Deity of Earth, delivering powerful horizontal strikes and rushing straight through him at the same time.

That accomplished, Nick and Yuki both leapt into the air, crossing their weapons.

"_Let's show them!!"_ Yuki exclaimed.

"_Run them through!!"_ Nick responded.

Their weapons began glowing with a bright silver light.

"_Mystic Arte!! Bushin Soutenha!!"_ Nick and Yuki exclaimed, slashing their weapons across each other. This sent two energy beams from each of their weapons that eventually joined together and spiraled into a massive corkscrew of energy that slashed mercilessly at Groudon, forcing him back onto the ground.

"Argh... not bad, brats," Groudon growled. "But it will take a lot more than that to beat me!!!"

Groudon shook off his wounds and prepared for his next attack, opening his razor-fanged maw wide.

"What the...?" Yuki asked.

As Groudon began to charge up his attack, he stomped his foot onto the ground twice, and clusters of rock formed and tightened around Yuki's feet, preventing her from moving.

"Hey, what the heck?!" Yuki exclaimed. "Let go of me, jerk!!!"

Groudon just smirked evilly. His open mouth began to glow with a bright, unnaturally yellow light.

"Now take a whiff of THIS!!!!"

Groudon thrust his open mouth straight for Yuki, expelling from his maw a massive, pulsing yellow beam.

Yuki, stuck to the ground by Groudon's trickery, could only watch in horror as the immense attack flew straight for her at an unholy speed.

Yuki closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable strike.

The beam never actually hit her.

When Yuki opened her eyes again, they pinged all the way open as she noticed Nick, having hopped in front of her, taking the full force of the Solarbeam attack.

"NICK-KUN!!!!" Yuki screamed so loudly, it seemed to echo in the dark forest.

As the Solarbeam subsided, Nick flew backwards and landed with a harsh thud onto the grassy soil, his damage evident. It hadn't been enough to pierce Nick's skin, but it left a massive, circle-shaped gash on his chest.

This seemed to enrage Yuki, and she began struggling against her earthly restraints.

"LET ME GO!!!! I'm going to kill you, you little son of a bitch!!!!" Yuki screamed, thrashing against the piles of rock that were holding her in place.

"That boy should consider himself lucky," Groudon stated. "My Solarbeam is limited by the fact that the sun is not out. Had it been the daytime, your little friend would have sacrificed himself for nothing."

This only made Yuki angrier.

"Now, I think I will take your life as I planned to. You don't seem anywhere as strong as the boy is, so even a purposely underpowered Solarbeam will end your pathetic life in a single instant."

Yuki just smirked. Then, she started laughing.

"You find something funny, dark girl?"

Yuki was actually smiling now. "You shouldn't assume things about me, Groudon. I'm WAY stronger than you think I am. I don't flaunt that fact, but it's the truth."

Yuki closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Not even a split-second later, an immense, roaring dark aura exploded outwards from Yuki, shattering her restraints and forcing Groudon back in his spot.

"Now it's time I teach you what happens when you mess with the ones I love!!!" Yuki exclaimed, her brown eyes flashing as she charged straight for Groudon.

Before Groudon could aim another Solarbeam for the black witch, Yuki had slammed her fist right into Groudon's jaw, enhancing the strike with her now-unleashed dark powers and shattering Groudon's jaw and many of his teeth.

Groudon stumbled back, quickly recovering himself and unleashing another Solarbeam, though this one simply fizzled out of existence upon contact with Yuki's raging aura.

Not wasting any time, Yuki formed a twilight energy sword in her right hand. She dodged around another Solarbeam and thrust the energy sword straight into Groudon's chest.

"Do you not understand what killing me will do to the balance of the world? The balance will shift irreversibly towards chaos, and there will be nothing people like you can do to return the balance."

"That's just what the ancient ones have engraved into your mind, Groudon. That was millions of years ago. Times have changed!!!" Yuki shot back. "There IS a way for people to reverse the chaos!! It's called _hope._ Something someone like you wouldn't understand."

Yuki yanked her energy sword away, and then, something thoroughly unexpected happened.

Kyogre, the Deity of the Sea, flew in and chomped his freezing teeth into Groudon's heart.

"K... Kyogre?! You would dare betray me? My own brother would dare betray me?!"

"Sorry, _brother_. But the rest of us have grander plans, and they don't include you."

Groudon thrashed about, trying to dislodge Kyogre's razor-sharp teeth, but the power of his brother's Ice Fang attack was far too much for the Deity of Earth to handle, especially with the attack lodged in his heart.

"Ugh... I may be done for, but I may as well tell you something. You know the fight you had with the prince of the night?"

"What... about it?" Nick asked weakly, coughing up a bit of blood not a second later.

"Hold on, Nick-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed, rushing up to Nick's battered form. "I'll help you!! _Soten kisshun, I reject!!_"

Silver energy washed through Nick's body, quickly healing the wound that had been inflicted by Groudon's earlier Solarbeam.

"The prince of the night holds a chunk of the world's balance in his own dark powers. By upsetting him as you've done, you've upset the balance. Soon, this world will fall to chaos. It's all your fault, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

Having spoken his last, Groudon slumped to the ground with a large thud, and quickly evaporated into tiny red particles that floated into the sky.

"Poor, simple-minded Groudon. He had no idea he was just a pawn in our plot."

With that, Kyogre flew away.

"Idiot," Yuki growled, suddenly noticing Nick's weird expression.

"Nick-kun? You okay?"

Nick's expression was completely blank, Groudon's last words running through his head like a broken record player.

"_This world will fall to chaos, it's all your fault, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."_

Yuki quickly realized why Nick was acting so gloomy.

"Nick-kun, don't listen to what that jerk told you," Yuki proclaimed, walking up to Nick and hugging him tightly. "Whoever he was talking about, I know for a fact that none of this was your fault. He's just trying to psych us out, play against our minds with freaky words."

Yuki leaned down to look at Nick, their faces almost touching.

"It's not your fault, Nick-kun. You don't ever have to think something like that."

And just like that, Yuki kissed him. This time, however, Nick quickly kissed her back. It was nice that she was trying to soothe him after everything that had happened.

Once they disengaged, however, Nick noticed something hovering above the city.

Nick's heart nearly stopped again as he realized what was up there.

Rayquaza, Deity of the Sky, was charging a massive attack in his own razor-fanged maw, an attack that seemed to be even more powerful than Groudon's fully-charged Solarbeam. Worse, Nick knew he wouldn't be able to reach Rayquaza in time to stop it.

Before Nick could even grasp the situation, Rayquaza fired his attack towards the city of Misora, a titanic, white-hot cylinder of energy that instantly reduced five buildings to nothing but dust.

Worse yet, Rayquaza continuously fired Hyper Beams left and right, scraping through the city until it was nothing but rubble.

Nick fell to his knees once it was all over, easily noticing Rayquaza's taunting smirk, even from that distance.

The instant Rayquaza disappeared from the scene, Nick burst into tears, soothed only by Yuki holding him close and whispering sweet nothings to him.

Only one thought ran through Nick's mind at that point.

_Some hero I am..._

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Next time:

Chapter 5: Falling Star Calamity

Though Nick is overjoyed to find out that all of the Ojamajos survived Rayquaza's destruction of Misora, he's still upset that he couldn't do anything to stop it, believing Groudon's final words to be true. With nowhere else to go, the Ojamajos leave the wrecked Misora and set out on the journey of their lives, their only goal being to stop the destruction the Elemental Ones are wreaking unto the world...


	5. Falling Star Calamity

The symmetry is happening again.

You notice it, right?

The similar event that plays out in my mind...

Many millennia ago, but still as fresh as the day before in my mind.

It was close to the time of the Shadow's release that something snapped between the two destined ones.

It was not known to anyone but their closest friends, but a strange, rather strong animosity existed between the light prophet and the prince of the night.

And it was due to the twilight princess.

The two loved the twilight princess even more than their own beings, and this caused many misunderstandings.

Before long, this animosity erupted into pure, unmistakable hatred.

Neither of them knew of the Shadow back then, but they did not realize that the skirmishes they found themselves in day after day were giving strength to the Shadow.

Before long, the prince of the night stormed off, leaving the twilight princess in the care of the light prophet.

No one knows where the prince of the night went to, or why he left.

All we _are_ sure of is that when he appeared at the Brink two hundred years later...

...he brought the Shadow back with him.

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(There may be forces in this world we don't understand, but I believe we make our own miracles.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star  
_Story Created: May 30th, 2009  
This Chapter: March 28th, 2010  
Rated: T for Teen (for intense scenes, violence, and intimate moments. Basically, my usual.)

Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...

On Today's Episode: Though Nick is overjoyed to find out that all of the Ojamajos survived Rayquaza's destruction of Misora, he's still upset that he couldn't do anything to stop it, believing Groudon's final words to be true. With nowhere else to go, the Ojamajos leave the wrecked Misora and set out on the journey of their lives, their only goal being to stop the destruction the Elemental Ones are wreaking unto the world...

Disclaimer (since I know I have to put this): I don't own ANYTHING related to _Ojamajo Doremi_, and you people know that. It belongs solely to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their country. There, now you can't sue me for it. Hahaha. I win.

Note: _Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star_ IS the actual title of the story, but I changed it for the site since the whole name wouldn't fit. DAMN IT

Note 2: Yuki Shinoya and her witch apprentice team, who will be appearing in this story, belong to YukiShinoya444. I DO have her permission to use her characters in my stories, just so you know.

Note 3: And now, my obsession with _God of War 3_ starts to come out in this chapter.

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Chapter 5: Falling Star Calamity

"So... what do we do now?"

Everyone heard Moriko's question, but most of the Ojamajos were too stunned to answer. Thankfully, they'd all been away from the city when Rayquaza had utterly destroyed it.

"What IS there to do?" Nick shot back, still feeling horrible. "Our city's gone. Everything we've fought for is gone. What the hell is left?!"

Without any warning, Aiko walked up and slapped Nick across the face.

"AI-CHAN, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!!" Nick screamed.

"Why are you talking like that, Kellysi-chan?" Aiko stated, surprisingly not angry despite the fact that she'd just slapped Nick. She bent down and laid her hands on Nick's shoulders. "Listen, buddy. In the eight years I've known ya, you have NEVER given up on anythin', even when the situation is almost impossible to see through. I've never heard that kinda talk from you before, and I don't ever want to again, because the Kellysi-chan I know has NEVER let something like this stop him!!! We've all been through so much worse than this, and you've never once backed down from what ya think is right!! So, why stop now?"

Nick slowly lifted his head up to face the blue witch.

"You know something, Ai-chan? You're right," Nick proclaimed, slowly getting to his feet. "This isn't the end yet. We still have a chance to put an end to this, so I say we take it while we can!!!"

Aiko couldn't help but smile, proud of her handiwork. "Now THAT'S the Kellysi-chan I remember."

"Those Elemental Ones are going to regret EVER messing with us," Nick stated. "We've already got one of them, so now we have a fighting chance against the rest of them. We're going to stop this madness or die trying."

"Well, then..."

Nick spun around, trying to find the source of this new voice.

"If that's what you want."

Nick was barely aware of the rest of the Ojamajos gasping in apparent shock, or Yuki and Momoko looking like they were about to start screaming their heads off. He could barely focus on anything due to the incessant pain exploding through his body.

He looked down, and saw a lance made completely of dark energy piercing through his chest.

"Ouch..."

And with that, Nick lost all feeling and fell straight to the ground.

Yuki and Momoko were the first to act, jerking their vision towards the perpetrator: someone who would have been completely identical to Nick were it not for the immense aura of darkness surrounding him.

"Your feeble tears won't make any difference, little wretches," the dark figure stated. "The Shadow will return, and I will not have you pathetic little witches interfering with my mission."

Moriko wasted no time in slamming her palms onto the ground, calling on her link with nature to haves vines sprout from the ground around the dark figure and binding him easily.

Yuki immediately aimed her hands towards the figure, dark energy channeling into her hands rapidly.

"You SON OF A BITCH!!!!!"

The last thing the figure said as Yuki's massive attack blasted him into oblivion was...

"The Shadow will reign supreme!!!"

...and then it was over.

Nothing was said for a while, the Ojamajos just mourning their fallen friend. But just as Momoko was about to start crying...

"No tears, you guys!!! Look, I know it hurts to lose one of our own, but now we have another reason to stop these guys, all right?" Aiko stated.

Completely out of the blue, Momoko burst out crying and rushed into Aiko's arms.

"It's okay, Momo-chan... it's okay..."

That was all that could be said.

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Nick opened his eyes, knowing where he was going to end up after that.

He sure didn't expect to wake up inside what appeared to be a regal-looking temple, despite it looking like it was halfway through collapsing.

"Oooooooooooooookay... this doesn't look like limbo, but it definitely doesn't look like hell. So, could someone tell me what's going on?!"

Nick wandered through the collapsed area, trying in vain to find an answer, only to be jumped by seemingly hundreds of animated skeletons, likely lost souls trying to cling onto something.

"Hey, let me go, freaks!! I'm not... didn't I tell you to... hey, that's a personal spot!! ...didn't I say... why won't you... come on, freak... GET OFF!!!!"

His temper now flared, Nick summoned Hanyou Hikari and performed a massive spin attack that obliterated all of the skeletons trying to massacre him.

This in itself confused Nick; if he was dead, which he was sure he was, he wouldn't be able to use his weapons or magic. So what was going on?

"Hey there, kiddo!!"

Nick whipped around. Standing right there by the edge of the bridge was a girl about his age with long scarlet hair and dark brownish-red eyes. Her outfit consisted of nothing but a simple dark blue shirt and purple skirt.

"Good to see you!!"

Nick did a double take. "No way. What are YOU doing here, Kami-chan?"

Kami Akuko simply smiled. "I was going to say the same to you, Nick-kun. How the heck did you end up here?"

"Some jerk got me with a sneak attack," Nick explained. "Sucks I had to go out like that. I don't know how Momoko's gonna handle being without a boyfriend for the rest of her life..."

Kami sweatdropped at that. "What?! Nick-kun, you can get back to her!!"

Now Nick was REALLY confused. "What are you talking about, Kami-chan? I'm dead, right? There's no way I can get back to life, and Momoko already used the one wish on the Majokai Crystals when Morticon struck me down!!!"

Kami, to Nick's immense surprise, broke out into a bubbly grin. "Nick-kun, whoever told you that being dead means you're dead for good is a big, fat, no-necked, chicken-lipped LIAR. Most people just don't have the spirit or will to fight through Tartarus to get back to the living world. We just need to find the Hyperion Gate and we should be able to get back to the upper levels."

"And I'm assuming we have a long way to go?"

Kami nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. You fell into here a LONG way from the entrance, so you've got yourself one heck of a long trek."

"What do you mean, 'you'? You're not coming with me?"

"Do you want me to?"

Nick shuffled his feet. "Well, I don't want to be alone. And I'm assuming you know your way through here?"

Again, Kami nodded. "I'm not dead, but I know my way around here. Unfortunately, I can't go beyond a certain point unless I'm with the guy who brought me here in the first place. I lost contact with him when I was brought back to life, so I can only take you to a certain point. After that, you're on your own, okay, Nick-kun?"

Nick nodded, letting Hanyou Hikari rest on his shoulder. "Then go ahead and lead the way as far as you can, Kami-chan."

"On one condition."

"What?"

Kami tucked her hands behind her back in a pose that Nick had to admit was extremely adorable.

"Tell me how you ended up here in the first place."

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"So... any idea where we're going?" Riiko asked. She and Yumi had just arrived after scoping out what was left of Misora after Rayquaza's surprise attack. Riiko had instantly burst into tears when she learned of Nick's fate, but she was feeling a little better now that she was with her friends.

"We're following the Elemental Ones," Moriko answered. "We've already taken care of Groudon, so that just leaves three more. We have to stop whatever it is they're trying to do. We're not coming back home until we've stopped them AND the Shadow."

"Nick-kun's honor demands it," Yuki stated quietly.

"It's events like this that make me wonder how much we've gotta suffer just to do the right thing," Haruka wondered.

"Now that's nonsense, Haruka-chan," Ichiyou responded, tightly embracing the aquamarine witch. "All of this crap is worth it, im my eyes. We always manage to pull through in the end with no casualties. This time isn't any different!! Even if we've already lost one of our own, that's no reason for us to chicken out and give up!! We've gotta fight even harder for Nick's sake!! That's how we roll, right?"

Haruka smiled at the end of Ichiyou's little speech. "Spoken like an angel, Leaf-chan."

"She's right, you know. We've been through worse, and that's never stopped us before!!" Aiko stated quite matter-of-factly.

"We just have to keep going, right?" Hazuki answered. "It's what Kellysi-chan would have wanted."

Hazuki cast a quick glance over at Momoko, who was still rather depressed. Her loss was apparently still hitting her pretty hard.

The orange witch was about to go offer some comfort to Momoko, but was stopped as her senses registered some kind of strange energy.

"Momo-chan, GET DOWN!!!!"

Momoko perked up at this, but she barely had enough time to register the exclamation before Hazuki rushed up and tackled her to the ground. A massive, pulsing energy sphere rocketed right over where Momoko had been not a second earlier.

Once Momoko had recovered her footing, she turned towards the source of that attack: it was the same mysterious character that had seemingly killed Nick.

"You've got some nerve showing your face here after what you did," Yuki proclaimed. "Besides, didn't I already kill you?!"

The figure shook his head condescendingly. "I cannot be killed that easily. I am the Foreseer, and I have powers beyond your comprehension."

"Snap, Tobiume!!"

Once Yuki had summoned her weapon, she shifted into battle stance.

"You still wanna retract that stupid statement of yours before I hurt you?"

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Nick finished his story as he and Kami reached a massive gate.

"That's gotta stink, huh?" Kami noted. "I don't think I've heard of the Shadow before, but that sounds like a lot of trouble. ...what?"

Kami must have noticed Nick's odd expression, as if he feared she was going to start wailing on him at any minute. "Aren't you going to start pummeling me into the ground for what I did to Saiki-kun?"

Kami shook her head. "Not this time, Nick-kun. You told me why you did it. You lost control of your powers because of the Shadow's veil. It sounds like this veil thing is messing with EVERYTHING. I've been down here a couple of times since the battle I had with Yuki-chan, but it's never been as crazy as it is now. Take a look for yourself."

Kami pointed towards the ceiling hundreds of miles above. Nick was shocked to see thousands of bodies falling from the sky.

"Normally, there's not that many falling down from above," Kami explained. "But ever since the appearance of the veil, things have been going completely insane all over the place."

"That settles it, then," Nick growled. "I've gotta get back to the girls and stop this madness before something worse happens!! How far can you take me?"

"Up to the Gates of Tisiphone," Kami responded. "Can't go any farther than that unless I want to be dead again, which I don't."

Nick nodded, bringing out Hanyou Hikari and charging it up until it began to glow with an emerald green light.

"Try THIS on for size!!!" Nick exclaimed, raising Hanyou Hikari above his head and bringing it down hard not a second later, this motion creating a massive energy blade that extended from Nick's weapon and cleaved the ahead gate in half rather easily.

"Piece of cake," Nick commented.

"You've gotten a lot stronger since the last time we met, huh?" Kami quipped.

"To say the least," Nick replied.

Now that the gates were open, Nick was able to get a good look at what lied ahead. And what he saw easily surprised him.

For hundreds of miles ahead of the two travelers, there lay a wide expanse of shattered earth, volcanoes, and all kinds of disturbing sights.

Kami looked out over the horizons. "Welcome to the Pits of Tartarus."

"Catchy name, I guess," Nick responded.

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Next time:

Chapter 6: The March of Tartarus

Yuki begins her battle with the mysterious Foreseer, but when it seems like she's going to be overwhelmed, she'll get some help from a very familiar source... Meanwhile, in the Pits of Tartarus, before Nick can even take three steps, a seemingly simple case of mistaken identity forces him into one of the toughest battles he's ever had to fight...


	6. The March of Tartarus

What is this strange, yet oddly familiar power I am sensing?

Especially after one of the Elemental Ones was so handily defeated by a mere child.

This is no ordinary coincidence.

I have tried to contact my kin, but I am still bound to this godforsaken place and cannot leave.

He will pay for imprisoning me here.

And the other one will suffer for being the cause of my sorrow.

I have been imprisoned in this hellish place for far too long.

And he approaches quickly, with the other girl by his side.

How is he here in the Pits of Tartarus, either way?

Hmph. It matters not to me.

When I find that boy, he is going to suffer horribly.

The day he destroyed my life continues to play through my mind, even after two millennia of imprisonment in this wretched hellhole.

With every beating of my heart, he seems to approach closer and closer to my tomb.

It is with great pride that I finally realize that the time I have waited millennia for is now.

He grows ever closer by the second.

And when he enters my tomb...

...I will finally have my revenge.

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(There may be forces in this world we don't understand, but I believe we make our own miracles.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star  
_Story Created: May 30th, 2009  
This Chapter: April 21st, 2010  
Rated: T for Teen (for intense scenes, violence, and intimate moments. Basically, my usual.)

Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...

On Today's Episode: Yuki begins her battle with the mysterious Foreseer, but when it seems like she's going to be overwhelmed, she'll get some help from a very familiar source... Meanwhile, in the Pits of Tartarus, before Nick can even take three steps, a seemingly simple case of mistaken identity forces him into one of the toughest battles he's ever had to fight...

Disclaimer (since I know I have to put this): I don't own ANYTHING related to _Ojamajo Doremi_, and you people know that. It belongs solely to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their country. There, now you can't sue me for it. Hahaha. I win. I also do not own anything related to the _God of War_ series, created and developed by Sony Santa Monica Studios (though I do own copies of all of the games, including _God of War Collection_). This is said due to the source material for this chapter's "boss fight".

Note: _Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star_ IS the actual title of the story, but I changed it for the site since the whole name wouldn't fit. DAMN IT

Note 2: Yuki Shinoya and her witch apprentice team, who will be appearing in this story, belong to YukiShinoya444. I DO have her permission to use her characters in my stories, just so you know.

Note 3: If this chapter doesn't show you how obsessed I am with _God of War III_, nothing will.

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Chapter 6: The March of Tartarus

"Whoever did the decorating for this place SERIOUSLY needs to be fired," Nick teased. Kami had a good giggle at that.

Nick was about to start marching forward when Kami stopped him after only two steps.

"Hold on just a second, Nick-kun," Kami stated. "This place is way more dangerous than anything you've been through so far. So, just for insurance, I'm gonna lend you some of my power."

"Don't _you_ need that power, Kami-chan?" Nick wondered.

"It's okay, Nick-kun. I've got a lot of strength left over, so it doesn't really bother me to loan you some of mine," Kami responded, resting her left hand on Nick's shoulder and channeling energy into the green witch.

"There. All done," Kami stated with a cute wink. "This power should let you switch your glowy form on and off without much trouble. I have this odd feeling you're going to need it."

Nick nodded in approval, taking a few cautious steps forward.

It was just then that he noticed that the terrain he had just stepped onto seemed a little more uneven than what he'd already seen here in Tartarus.

Nick turned to Kami for clarification, but the scarlet witch just shook her head.

Nick bent down and began to inspect the terrain, finding something oddly familiar about it.

But before he could investigate further, the ground beneath Nick began to quake and shiver, as if something here in Tartarus was demanding it to.

A few seconds later, Nick could easily see why the ground was shaking, as the terrain turned out to be a giant hand that tore the very ground Nick was standing on out of its hinges and rising it into the sky.

Nick quickly summoned Hanyou Hikari, but his mouth dropped open in surprise when he saw who this massive hand belonged to.

It was a massive, rough-skinned giant who was almost five times as tall as the city of Misora itself. He was carrying an immense structure on his back that caused him to hunch forward a bit.

Nick stood perfectly still as the insanely gigantic creature brought him up to face level.

"This murderous freak enters the tomb of Cronos?!" the creature roared.

"Oh, hell," Nick stated simply.

"I know it was you who killed her, boy," Cronos boomed. "Do not deny it. Who else could?"

"Um, you're not making much sense here, buddy," Nick shot back, readying his weapon just in case.

"I live in torment because of you," Cronos proclaimed, none of what he was saying making any sense to Nick. "When you took the box from Pandora's Temple, the mighty one was consumed with fear. He banished me to the Pits of Tartarus."

"Look, what the hell are you babbling about?!" Nick screamed, now EXTREMELY confused. Just then, though, a thought came to him.

_This Cronos character says he knows who I am, but we've never met before,_ Nick thought. _I'm willing to bet that since I'm apparently the reincarnation of the light prophet from the ancient days, Cronos probably thinks I'm him. But what did he do to screw things up THIS badly with someone like Cronos?_

"And you just sat there, filing your fingers and romancing the twilight princess," Cronos growled. "But this time, retribution finally comes to me, abomination."

Before Nick even knew what was happening, Cronos had used his middle and index fingers to scoop Nick away before Kami could render any assistance.

Nick quickly shifted into his super form with the power Kami had given to him and shoved Cronos' index finger away while keeping a firm grip on the middle finger.

"Brat, your death will not be a gentle one," Cronos proclaimed, bringing his index finger back down and attempting to crush Nick. The green witch used his super form's strength to slowly but surely push the finger away. Reverting back to his normal self, Nick then slashed at the tip of the finger with Hanyou Hikari, causing some blood to gush from the wound, though this didn't seem to faze Cronos.

Cronos then laughed condescendingly, though this gave Nick time to notice something about Cronos' now-glowing eyes.

"Okay, see how you like this," Nick growled, aiming Hanyou Hikari for Cronos' eyes. _"DIAMOND TEMPEST!!!"_

A bright ball of yellow light exploded from Nick's weapon and thundered straight for Cronos. The energy ball stopped short of Cronos' face before erupting into a blinding flash of light that caused Cronos to rear back in agony, inadvertently tossing Nick incredibly high into the air.

"ARGH!!! My eyes!!!" Cronos exclaimed.

Still soaring through the air, Nick knew he needed to find a way to safe ground. After about a split-second of thought, Nick decided to try something. Focusing on the power that Kami had given him, Nick threw Hanyou Hikari towards the pinky finger of Cronos' left hand. This time, however, the emerald sword stayed connected to Nick's hand by a long, rope-like beam of energy. Nick used the makeshift rope to swing his way over to Cronos' right hand, which now rested flatly on a nearby mountain and giving Nick some stable terrain to catch his breath on.

"AUGH!!! Damned mortal!! You will suffer when my sight returns!!" Cronos boomed.

After about ten seconds of running around and wondering what to do, Nick steadied himself as Cronos began to stand up, his immense hand returning to its vertical orientation. Nick swiftly jammed Hanyou Hikari into the flesh of the hand, though this didn't seem to alert Cronos to his whereabouts.

Nick stuck his other hand out and concentrated his own strength.

_"An oath that will never be broken!! Yakusoku no Rikou!!!"_

A new weapon appeared in Nick's free hand. The hilt was decorated with black-and-silver stars, and the blade was quite long, forming what appeared to be a scimitar. The blade constantly radiated twilight sparkles, and a star-shaped charm was attached to the center of the weapon.

Nick wasted no time in jamming Yakusoku no Rikou into Cronos' hand as well, alternating between the two weapons as he started to climb up Cronos' hand, jumping through a gap that had been created by Cronos' turning shackle.

"Where are you, brat?"

As Nick continued to ascend the titan's arm, he was eventually stopped by what appeared to be a rather nasty-looking boil.

Nick thought for a couple seconds, realizing that there was nowhere else to go unless he got Cronos to move.

"Guess I'm not going anywhere unless I get his attention," Nick realized. Nick unhinged Hanyou Hikari and destroyed the boil with one stroke, this motion drenching Cronos' upper arm with a splash of blood. Just as expected, this alerted Cronos to Nick's whereabouts.

"Ah, there you are."

After a second, Cronos horizontally oriented the arm Nick was standing on, and started to aim his other hand at the green witch. Nick stood his ground, ready for whatever Cronos was going to pull.

"There is no escape."

Cronos reared his head back as if he was about to start attacking. Nick didn't even realize he was using his shield spell until he'd actually used it. It must have been instinct.

"_Santen kesshun, I reject!!!"_

Nick had put up his barrier spell just in time to deflect a rather nasty maelstrom of wind coming from Cronos' now open mouth.

"Geez!!! Holy nasty case of garlic breath, Batman," Nick muttered to himself.

After a couple rounds of dodging Cronos' nasty breath, Nick decided it was time to go on the offensive. _But how?_

"Be still, boy."

Not wasting any time, Cronos slammed his right hand onto his left arm.

It was then that Nick noticed that one of Cronos' fingers was in his attack range.

"All right, there's my way out of here," Nick stated, using the energy whip extensions he'd used before for his weapons and viciously whirling them around in a searing spinning attack, cutting small chunks off of the fingernail.

However, before Nick could continue attacking, Cronos drew his hand back, but this time slammed it farther away from Nick, intending to knock Nick off into the abyss. Nick threw Hanyou Hikari back onto the arm and used the energy chain to pull himself back to safe ground.

After a couple more dodges, Cronos' chipped finger slammed down onto the ground. Nick didn't waste a second in rushing over there and wailing on the exposed fingernail until it was pulled forward a bit and Cronos jerked back a bit in agony.

Nick took this as his cue, extending both of his blades on his energy ropes, slamming them into Cronos' loose fingernail and pulling as hard as he possibly could. Cronos attempted to resist, but Nick was too persistent and he eventually yanked the damaged fingernail clean off of Cronos' finger, causing the titan to scream in abject agony.

"ARGH!!! You little bastard!!!"

"YEAH!!!!" Kami exclaimed from back on the ground, having donned a scarlet cheerleader outfits and pom-poms. "Get that jerk-off on the run!!!"

Cronos shook his head and aimed his damaged hand for Nick once again.

"You are a pest, and deserve to be crushed like one."

Cronos slammed his hand down onto his arm, but Nick was able to roll away just in time towards a safe spot inbetween Cronos' fingers.

Instinctively, Nick latched his weapons onto the smooth patch of Cronos' damaged finger and climbed onto the top of it, where he was quickly brought in front of Cronos' face again.

"You are clearly a skilled warrior, boy."

"And don't you forget it, giganto. _DIAMOND TEMPEST!!!!_"

Again, a ball of light launched from Nick's weapon exploded in Cronos' face, momentarily blinding him again and throwing Nick far away from Cronos' vision.

"AGH, my eyes!! I cannot see!!!"

Nick quickly attached himself to Cronos' side with Yakusoku no Rikou and pulled himself back up to safe ground.

"Where did you go?"

Nick quickly started climbing up Cronos' side, hopping across gaps and trying his absolute best not to fall to his demise.

After using his weapons' energy ropes to grapple his way to an isolated platform on Cronos' back, Nick began looking around for a way onward, but there seemed to be none.

After about a minute of searching (thankfully, Cronos didn't know Nick was on his back), Nick noticed that there was a slightly open gate nearby.

Shifting into his super form, Nick reached for the gate and began forcing it open. After a while, it flew open and Nick reverted back to his usual self.

Behind the now-opened gate was a massive blue crystal pillar surrounded by more of Cronos' flesh. Nick immediately went to work hacking away at the flesh surrounding the crystal, though this covered his clothes with Cronos' blood.

After making enough of an opening, Nick quickly used a cleansing spell to wash away the blood on his clothes, and then went back to hacking away, this time at the crystal.

Kami was the first to notice that Cronos' hand was reaching for Nick, but knew there was no way she'd be able to warn Nick in time.

So, the scarlet witch could only cringe as Cronos snared Nick away from the crystal. Peering towards his hand, he could see Nick hanging on for dear life, swinging his weapons at anything that dared to come his way.

"There you are, boy!! Your fate is now in my hands."

Cronos' oriented his hand so Nick was once again on stable ground. Nick was about to question why when he looked up and saw Cronos aiming his other hand straight for him.

"Oh, jeez!!!"

"I will make you into a bloody stain."

Without any more warning, Cronos slammed his hands together, apparently squishing Nick, but Kami's aura senses told her otherwise.

In reality, Nick had shifted into his super form the instant he'd disappeared from sight, and was just barely holding Cronos' other hand at bay.

After a bit of struggling, Nick pushed Cronos' left hand up enough so he could move around, and swiftly jammed Hanyou Hikari and Yakusoku no Rikou into the hand, slicing in an arc and causing the titan some decent damage.

"ARGH!!! You brat!!"

Cronos lifted his hand up, orienting it upside down with no apparent trace of Nick.

"Where did you go?"

Kami was the only one who realized that Nick was now hanging on the underside of Cronos' hand, his blades digging into the titan's flesh as he held on as best he could, swinging across the hand like he was on the monkey bars at the old playground.

"By hiding, you show your true nature, coward."

Almost without warning, Cronos clenched his hand into a fist. This prompted Nick to jump off, though he used his weapons' energy ropes to grapple across a series of hooks on the shackles that seemed to bind Cronos to the ancient Pandora's Temple. Once he was back on Cronos' arm, however, the titan noticed him, slamming his hand down onto the nearby shoulder cuff, thus breaking it and sending it hurtling towards Nick.

"Oh, god!!" Nick exclaimed while running towards safety. "That's just not fair!!"

"Why do you flee, coward?"

After a bit of running, Nick did another grapple and safely landed on Cronos' shoulder plate.

"Okay, once again, I need to catch his attention if I'm gonna get anywhere here. And I'll bet attacking that shoulder welt of his will do the trick," Nick stated to himself, analyzing the situation. "Problem is, that's thing's huge, so I'm gonna need something huge in order to break it quickly..."

As if hearing Nick's thoughts, a massive, skeletal Cyclops creature plopped down from the top of Cronos' head, wielding a massive scythe.

Nick grinned. "Just in time. Gotta weaken that thing, though, if I'm gonna use it. Let's get to work."

Nick wasted no time in shifting into his super form and going to town on the beast with all kinds of attacks: somersaulting spins, whirling tornado attacks, the works. Nick had quickly turned into a whirling golden dervish of destruction, not giving the Cyclops Remains any chance to fight back.

Before long, Nick had easily stunned the beast. Reverting to his normal self, Nick climbed onto the creature's back, and ordered it to attack Cronos' shoulder welt by jamming his blades into its neck over and over again.

A few clubs to the welt, and Cronos took notice of this, grabbing both Nick and the Cyclops Remains and depositing them onto his other hand.

"Enough!! It is time to end this. Trust me. Eating you will me more unpleasant for you than it will be for me."

And with those words, Cronos lifted his hand over his open mouth and shook hard, causing the Cyclops Remains, which was already dead, to fall in. Nick couldn't hold on under the pressure, and he fell in as well.

Kami could only look on in shock.

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"You ready to go, freak?" Yuki challenged.

"You would do good not to underestimate me," the Foreseer, the strange dark entity that resembled Nick, taunted as he stood ready for Yuki's assault.

"You're gonna pay for what you did to Nick-kun, you jerk!!!" Yuki shouted, spinning Tobiume around in her hands before aiming it straight for the Foreseer.

"_Come forth, o lightning, and receive your punishment!!"_ Yuki chanted. _"Mystic Arte!! Radiant Moonlight!!!"_

Yuki swung her weapon in an arc across her, this motion creating a crescent-shaped beam of twilight energy that rocketed at the Foreseer, striking him rather harshly.

"Please. You'll have to do better than that."

"Oh, yeah?!" Yumi challenged. "Then try THIS on for size!!"

The strawberry witch wasted no time in slamming her palms onto the ground. This motion caused two gigantic stadium speakers made of pure light to pop up on both sides of the Foreseer.

"I learned this baby the other day," Yumi giggled. _"Sonic Scream!!!"_

Before anyone else could react, Yumi snapped her fingers, and an ethereal microphone appeared in front of the strange speakers. This caused an insane amount of feedback that blasted the Foreseer around a bit and forced the rest of the Ojamajos to cover their ears so they didn't go deaf.

"You... wretches..." the Foreseer groaned.

He then turned towards Yuki. "You shall be the first to die!!!"

Just then...

"Don't you touch her. _MAKURAYAMI!!!!_"

The Foreseer was suddenly slammed harshly to the ground by a massive sphere of dark energy. This was enough to force him to retreat.

Everyone turned around and noticed Saiki standing there, his arms raised and a bit of a melancholic look on his face.

Yuki looked over at the night elemental. _Isn't that the boy that Nick-kun told me about?_ she thought.

Saiki wiped a tear away from his face. "I can at least do that for you," Saiki stated before rushing off in tears.

Yuki just stood there, a little confused.

"Um... what was THAT all about?"

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As he fell, Nick quickly latched his blades into whatever was the wall inside of Cronos.

"Okay, this is SO DISGUSTING," Nick growled. "I'd better get out of here quick."

To that end, Nick began sliding down the stomach wall, not noticing the wall of bile that was following him down.

But by the time he'd reached what was left of the Cyclops Remains, he DID notice it.

Nick quickly slashed at the Cyclops Remains, causing it to fall so Nick could keep sliding down and get to a safe spot.

Outside in Tartarus, Kami continued to stare over what had just happened. Cronos was just standing there, a triumphant grin on his face, when all of a sudden, a vibration occurred, and Cronos groaned, as if he was having a stomachache. His body convulsed a couple times, no doubt due to whatever Nick was doing.

A couple seconds later, Kami noticed something piercing through Cronos' side. She quickly realized that it was Hanyou Hikari just as the aforementioned blade slashed through Cronos' skin like a knife through a loaf of bread.

Cronos bellowed in agony, clutching his profusely bleeding wound as Nick hopped out, covered in blood but otherwise okay. Kami could also see that Nick was clutching a key in his hand, and that when Kami recognized what Nick had just found.

_All right, Nick-kun,_ Kami giggled to herself.

"ARGH!!!! You... you have what you came for!! Let me be!!"

No way was Nick going to accept that after what had just happened. He hopped across Cronos' hands, which, while clutching his massive wound, formed a makeshift bridge back to the odd crystal Nick had tried to break earlier.

Nick knew there would be no distractions this time with Cronos as injured as he was, so the green witch took the opportunity to shift into his super form and wail on the crystal with both of his weapons, his boosted strength eventually breaking the crystal off of its pedestal.

Nick wasn't done yet, though. He quickly flew around (glad he could fly in his super form) to the other side of the broken crystal and gave it a good kick, jamming it straight into Cronos' chin. Nick quickly came back with another kick that wedged the crystal even further in, causing another splash of blood to drench Cronos' face.

Kami couldn't help but cringe at how brutal Nick was being. _That's usually so not your style, Nick-kun,_ she thought.

Nick landed on Cronos' face, in front of the crystal protruding from the titan's chin, and reverted back to normal.

"Curse these chains!!!" Cronos exclaimed. Nick wasted no time in breaking what was left of the crystal so he could run onto Cronos' forehead. The damage was done, and Nick knew that Cronos would not survive this. Better to be safe than sorry, though.

Cronos just groaned. "I should have expected this from a coward such as you!!! A coward who kills his own kin."

"Look, Gigantor, I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but you obviously must have me confused with that light prophet I was apparently reincarnated from. If you've got beef with him, go and try to kill HIM, NOT ME!!!"

Cronos' eyes widened at this. "You... are not the light prophet?"

"I'm just his reincarnation, echo, or whatever the hell you want to call it," Nick stated. "But the main fact is that you tried to kill me, and no way am I letting that slide."

"Wait!!! I... I...!!!"

It was too late by now. Nick quickly raised Hanyou Hikari above his head, channeling as much energy as he could into the emerald blade. He hoped this would hurt. A LOT.

Before Cronos could protest any further, Nick aimed straight for his target and jammed Hanyou Hikari straight into Cronos' head. The spot where Nick had struck began to radiate with an evil-looking yellow light.

Cronos could no longer scream, he was in so much pain. He flopped around for a bit before going completely stiff and beginning to fall to the ground.

Nick could no longer sense Cronos' aura, but that was the least of his concerns right now. Nick quickly realized that he had to get back to safe ground unless he wanted to die along with Cronos, but there didn't seem to be any way off, and he'd used up the last of the power Kami had given him when he delivered the finishing blow to Cronos, so he couldn't become his super form and just fly away.

Deciding to take a chance, Nick began to back up, then took a running start and started dashing across Cronos' head, hoping to get this to work before Cronos' head became too slanted and made him fall to his death.

Not taking anymore chances, Nick ran forward and took a massive leap off of the titan's head, right back towards where he'd entered the Pits of Tartarus.

Kami saw this and ran towards where Nick was falling, making a spectacular flying leap to catch the green witch before he went splat on the ground.

The immobile body of Cronos collided with the ground of Tartarus with a massive thud before dissolving into nothingness.

"That was just AWESOME, Nick-kun!!!" Kami exclaimed, giving Nick a high-five. "You completely freaking WASTED that giant boy!!!"

"Just doing what I had to do," Nick responded, clutching the key he'd acquired after ripping Cronos' stomach open. "Say, do you know what this thingy is?"

"If it's what I think it is, that's your ticket out of this hellhole," Kami noted. "That's a Hyperion Key, and it's the only artifact that can operate the Hyperion Gate you need to get back up there."

"All right, guess I've got a little more searching to do," Nick stated, letting Hanyou Hikari rest on his shoulder. "Why don't you go back up to the surface world, Kami-chan?"

"What?" Kami was a little confused. "Don't you want me to be your guide?"

"I really appreciate you helping me out here, Kami-chan, but I need to take a breather after that slaughterfest, and besides, I know you want to go see Saiki-kun. Don't try to hide it, Kami-chan."

The scarlet witch actually blushed at that. "I guess you're right. I know he still loves Yuki-chan despite what happened, but I STILL wanna be there for him in his time of need!!!"

"Then you can go on ahead," Nick responded. "I'll find my own way out, okay?"

"DEAL!!!" Kami exclaimed, giggling slightly. "I'll see you back on the surface!!!"

And with that, Kami teleported away.

Nick sighed, pocketing the Hyperion Key and looking out over the Pits of Tartarus.

"Right, then... what to do next?"

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Next time:

Chapter 7: The Star That Changed Everything

Yuki and the Ojamajos run into trouble when they reach the Forest Haven, a supposed sanctuary for the Elemental Ones, but they run into even more trouble when they actually have to fight one of the Elemental Ones. Kind of a bad idea when Nick's still fighting his way through Tartarus and seemingly no closer to returning to the world of the living... or is he?


	7. The Star That Changed Everything

Even Cronos has fallen to the prophet.

I an still very worried about him.

He killed the titan with far more brutality than I would have expected of him.

Ever since his scuffle with the reborn prince of the night, his aura constantly seems to explode with darkness.

Not a good thing when the Shadow produces its wicked evil and spreads it across the world.

With every new fight the prophet gets into, this mysterious darkness continues to grow.

I fear it will consume him if left unchecked.

Even though he is a light prophet, everyone has darkness in their hearts. And his darkness is slowly but surely beginning to take hold.

He is the only one left that can possibly save this world.

With the prince of the night out of his balance, the light prophet is the only one that still possesses the balance needed to bring this world back to salvation.

Not much is left that has the ability to fight against such darkness.

I can only hope he does not fall to the corruption of the Shadow.

This world will be forfeit if he does.

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(There may be forces in this world we don't understand, but I believe we make our own miracles.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star  
_Story Created: May 30th, 2009  
This Chapter: June 4th, 2010  
Rated: T for Teen (for intense scenes, violence, and intimate moments. Basically, my usual.)

Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...

On Today's Episode: Yuki and the Ojamajos run into trouble when they reach the Forest Haven, a supposed sanctuary for the Elemental Ones, but they run into even more trouble when they actually have to fight one of the Elemental Ones. Kind of a bad idea when Nick's still fighting his way through Tartarus and seemingly no closer to returning to the world of the living... or is he?

Disclaimer (since I know I have to put this): I don't own ANYTHING related to _Ojamajo Doremi_, and you people know that. It belongs solely to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their country. There, now you can't sue me for it. Hahaha. I win.

Note: _Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star_ IS the actual title of the story, but I changed it for the site since the whole name wouldn't fit. DAMN IT

Note 2: Yuki Shinoya and her witch apprentice team, who will be appearing in this story, belong to YukiShinoya444. I DO have her permission to use her characters in my stories, just so you know.

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Chapter 7: The Star That Changed Everything

"_I love you, Saiki-kun."_

Those words, spoken by Yuki herself not too long before this madness began, now seemed like a distant, far-off memory to the depressed Saiki.

"Hey, don't tell me you're still sad, otouto-chan..."

For once, Saiki didn't retort when Akatsuki called him that.

"Of course I'm still sad, onii-chan... Yuki-chan doesn't even remember a thing about me, and that's really depressing..."

"Do you know why?" Akatsuki asked.

The purple-haired wizard had to step back a bit as he felt a flash of anger coming from Saiki.

"I'm willing to bet Nick-kun had something to do with it," Saiki growled. "He's always had a crush on Yuki-chan, so I wouldn't put it past that little son of a bitch..."

"I don't think Nick-kun would go that far..." Akatsuki responded, still rubbing the spot where he'd been struck by Nick earlier. Akatsuki knew that Nick wasn't mad at him, but at Saiki, and considering how the veil of the Shadow was beginning to affect everything it touched, he wasn't surprised that Nick had got angry with him just because he was trying to protect Saiki.

"Regardless, I'm not going to forgive him for this," Saiki shot back, his body beginning to glow with a dark energy. "I have a feeling that this is all his fault. And he's going to pay dearly for it, even if I have to rip his heart right out of his body."

Akatsuki just sighed, realizing that Saiki didn't know about the Shadow, or what it was doing to the world. That was the reason Saiki was so enraged over a simple scuffle.

Though Akatsuki had to admit, it would take quite a bit to get him to forgive Nick for attacking him completely out of nowhere. But that was something he'd consider later, as Nick was most likely with the rest of the Ojamajos on their quest to stop the Elemental Ones.

"SAIKI-SAN!"

Saiki turned around at that, seeing someone he hadn't seen in a while.

"Kami-chan?"

Saiki didn't have time to react as Kami threw her arms around him.

"Do you know what I went through to find you, Saiki-san?" Kami giggled. "I had to fight my way through Tartarus just to be here with you!"

Saiki just growled angrily. "Now is NOT the time, Kami-chan."

Yuki would have been angry at that. Kami wasn't, as she knew why Saiki was so uppity lately, thanks to Nick giving her the down-low.

"I wanna help, Saiki-san," Kami offered. "I know you're upset about what happened with Yuki-chan, and I want to help you!"

"What do you know about what happened to me?" Saiki asked, a little more snippy than he'd intended to make it.

"I know enough, okay?" Kami responded, still quite calm. The knowledge that Nick had imparted to her was definitely helping her stay calm when her crush was more uppity than he'd ever been in his life.

"Let me guess, Nick-kun told you, didn't he?" Saiki growled, really not in the mood to talk about the person that had angered him so much.

"Yeah, he told me," Kami answered. "I met up with him in Tartarus, and he told me what's been going on lately. That's why I'm so worried about you, Saiki-san. I know it's tearing you apart, Saiki-kun, but you have to understand, Nick-kun didn't do anything to you or your relationship..."

"HE'S LYING!" Saiki screamed, a powerful dark aura flaring to life around him. "That little son of a bitch is LYING to you!"

Kami looked into Saiki's anger-filled eyes... and saw something that wasn't there the last time she'd seen the love of her life.

Deep in Saiki's coal-black eyes, there was a hint of something that couldn't be seen by someone who didn't wield dark power like she did. Somewhere in Saiki's irises, there was a little blob of energy that seemed to expand just the tiniest bit whenever Saiki raged.

"Saiki-san, please..." Kami asked, her arms still around the night elemental.

And in that one instant, all of Saiki's anger seemed to shift to sadness, and he burst out crying. Kami simply pulled him close to her, letting him rest his head on her shoulder.

"I know I can never replace Yuki-chan in your heart, Saiki-san," Kami stated, "but I'll always be there if you need someone to talk to, okay?"

Saiki just nodded, looking up as Kami kissed him on the forehead.

And the scarlet witch felt relieved when she saw that mysterious energy in Saiki's eyes shrink a bit at the intimate contact.

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"Forest Haven?" Moriko asked, reading the mysterious letters that adorned a nearby plaque. She and the rest of the Ojamajos had found themselves lost in a mysterious forest not too long after starting their journey to reverse the destruction being wrought upon the world by the Elemental Ones. "Is that where we are?"

"You can actually read those birds and squiggles, Moriko-chan?" Yuki asked, slightly calmer now.

"Of course I can, silly," the jade witch responded. "I don't know how, but I can. This writing says we're in the Forest Haven, which is apparently some kind of sanctuary for the 'beings of the elements'..."

"Probably the Elemental Ones, right?" Momoko answered, referring to Groudon, Kyogre, Rayquaza, and Deoxys, four ancient deities that had been released from their pearl prison and were wreaking havoc across the world.

"Bingo, Momo-chan," Moriko proclaimed. "According to these squiggles, the Elemental Ones, before they'd been imprisoned for trying to blow everything up, used to use this forest as their sanctuary. Any trespassers didn't stand much of a chance, because the Elemental Ones didn't like people invading their holy grounds."

"What about the people who just found themselves randomly lost in there?" Hazuki wondered.

Moriko just shook her head. "Those freaks didn't show mercy to anyone who entered the Forest Haven. Probably one of the reasons the ancients sealed them away."

After a bit more studying, Moriko noticed one more thing at the bottom of the plaque. "Wait a minute... this says that the Elemental Ones were sealed with 'plates' from the Original One, the Alpha of the ancient days... what is THAT supposed to mean?"

"It means that you need to keep your nose out of other peoples' business, jade witch."

Everyone spun around at that, noticing that Kyogre, the Deity of the Sea, had just appeared.

"Why are you brats intruding in the Forest Haven?"

"You're asking us?" Moriko shot back. "We're just as lost as everyone else gets in this freaking place!"

"Regardless, you must pay for the sin you have committed."

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Moriko exclaimed. "You're making one that's even worse by trying to destroy the world!"

"That is what we, the Elemental Ones, are destined to do," Kyogre stated.

"Look, I'm going to tell you exactly what I told Groudon before I kicked his butt," Yuki growled. "You need to realize what you're doing and stop before it's too late! If you don't stand down, the Shadow is going to destroy EVERYTHING!"

"Nothing but collateral damage," Kyogre sneered.

The Deity of the Sea opened his razor-fanged maw and began to charge his power. Yuki frantically looked around; as it was, only she and Nick were currently strong enough to take on an Elemental One head-to-head, as they had done against Groudon.

And with the fact that Nick was gone now... well, to be blunt, things didn't look good for the Ojamajos.

"Have fun being frozen to death."

And with that, Kyogre expelled a massive blast of subzero air from his mouth, aimed right at the Ojamajos.

Yuki closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

_"BIDE!"_

Yuki perked up. That was something she hadn't expected.

But who did she know that had an ability like that?

That definitely wasn't Akemi saying that, so...

...wait.

Yuki looked up, and her expression brightened immensely.

Nick was in front of the group, Hanyou Hikari held tightly, the emerald blade absorbing the full brunt of Kyogre's Blizzard attack.

"I understand you were trying to hurt my friends, Kyogre," Nick taunted. "Now, I can't let that happen."

"What in the name of all that is... how are you still alive, boy?" Kyogre screamed. "Didn't the Foreseer finish you off?"

Nick just shook his head as he let Hanyou Hikari drop to his side, the blade glowing with a bright light.

"You must not have realized that I fought through Tartarus to get back here," Nick shot back. "It's been five hundred years, right? Things have changed."

Not wasting any more time, Nick swung the glowing Hanyou Hikari upwards, returning the energy he'd absorbed and freezing Kyogre into a block of ice.

"Yuki-chan, hurry!" Nick exclaimed.

"Ready, Nick-kun!" Yuki exclaimed, the two of them rushing to opposite sides of the frozen Kyogre.

Not wasting any time, Nick and Yuki slammed their weapons into the ground, creating a glyph under Kyogre that erupted into a geyser of energy that slashed mercilessly at him.

The two of them wasted no time in zipping forward. Once they'd gotten close enough to Kyogre, Yuki hopped to Kyogre' other side as they readied their assault.

"_Together as one!"_ Nick chanted.

"_As it always should be!"_ Yuki chanted.

With that, Nick and Yuki both started attacking, slashing at Kyogre in synchronized movements before stepping back and charging straight at Kyogre, delivering powerful horizontal strikes and rushing straight through him at the same time.

That accomplished, Nick and Yuki both leapt into the air, crossing their weapons.

"_Let's show them!"_ Yuki exclaimed.

"_Run them through!"_ Nick responded.

Their weapons began glowing with a bright silver light.

"_Mystic Arte! Bushin Soutenha!"_ Nick and Yuki exclaimed, slashing their weapons across each other. This sent two energy beams from each of their weapons that eventually joined together and spiraled into a massive corkscrew of energy, the beam piercing through and literally destroying Kyogre.

Nick and Yuki landed gracefully on the ground to a storm of applause from the Ojamajos.

"Two down," Yuki giggled.

"And two to go," Nick continued.

Out of pure instinct, Nick looked back at Momoko, who was still quite confused.

"Hey, remember what I said back at the Battle Frontier?" Nick teased. "There's no way I'm missing this party."

That was enough for Momoko, who rushed into Nick's arms, a few tears slipping out of her eyes.

The two of them just stared into each other's eyes for a good ten seconds before they started leaning towards each other.

"OI!" Aiko exclaimed, beginning to march towards the two, only to be pulled back by Yuki.

"Don't you DARE, Ai-chan," Yuki shot back. "Don't interrupt a romantic moment."

During this, Nick and Momoko's lips finally met and stayed together for about five seconds.

"I never get tired of that," Momoko giggled.

Suddenly, to Nick's surprise, Momoko leaned in so she could whisper something to him.

"Yuki-chan doesn't seem upset that I just kissed you," Momoko whispered.

"She likes you, Momoko," Nick responded. "She probably doesn't mind that you are I are still a couple."

"Did she really forget all about Saiki-kun?" Momoko wondered.

"I'm not sure," Nick answered. "As far as I know, she doesn't even know who he is, even when she's looking right at him. But Saiki-kun seems really upset by it..."

"He almost killed you back there," Momoko stated.

"That's my point," Nick continued. "If the Shadow really DID destroy their bond, Saiki-kun wouldn't remember Yuki-chan either. But the fact that he DOES remember, and that he almost killed me because of it, probably means that the Shadow couldn't destroy the bond, only repress it."

"And since that bond's being repressed right now, the love and devotion she has for Saiki-kun are being transferred to you, right?"

"Bingo."

Suddenly, Nick felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head around and saw Kami standing there.

"Good to see you made it out of Tartarus, Nick-kun," Kami giggled.

"Those undead morons didn't make it easy for me," Nick responded. "But yeah, I made it out. And we just trashed another of the Elemental Ones, so I'd say we're making good progress."

Kami laughed at that.

"You know you shouldn't be saying that, Nick-kun," Kami stated. "Isn't that what you always say? 'It's not over until the fat lady sings', or something like that?"

Nick grinned at Kami's silliness.

"KAMI-CHAN!" Yuki exclaimed, rushing up to hug the scarlet witch. "I missed you!"

Kami just giggled, returning the hug.

"Nick-kun, did you find Kami-chan in Tartarus?" Yuki asked.

"Let's say she found me," Nick answered. "She helped me take down a twenty-story giant. I'm dead serious, Ai-chan."

Nick grinned at Aiko's pouty look.

"So now, the gang is complete!" Yuki giggled, throwing her arms around Nick and planting a kiss on his cheek. "We'll face this together, right, Nick-kun?"

Nick couldn't help but nod, returning the heartfelt hug.

From completely out of nowhere, Saiki dropped down from the sky and slammed his fist into the ground. This created a massive tremor that was followed by a powerful dark shockwave that wobbled Momoko, Yuki, and Kami, and threw Nick crashing to the ground.

"What the hell was THAT for, you jerk?" Nick shouted, getting to his feet.

"How many times do I have to tell you, you son of a bitch?" Saiki growled. "You STAY AWAY from my girlfriend!"

"Listen, Saiki-kun, I'm REALLY not in the mood for another fight, so will you just calm down and let me explain what REALLY happened?" Nick shouted, his temper already starting to rise.

Saiki just growled, holding his hands forward and channeling dark energy into his hands.

"Let go of her, or ELSE, jerkoff! _Shadow Force!_"

Saiki flared with dark energy before disappearing in a flash. Before anyone could react, Saiki reappeared in front of Nick, slamming his glowing fists into the green witch's stomach. This impact created a powerful shockwave that knocked Nick for a loop, sending him flying straight through a couple trees.

Once Nick was able to pick himself up, he growled softly, summoning Hanyou Hikari quickly.

"All right, that's it," Nick growled, meeting eyes with the enraged night elemental.

"Please... you don't have to fight because of me!" Yuki exclaimed.

But Yuki's plea fell on deaf ears as Nick and Saiki charged for each other.

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Next time:

Chapter 8: A Glimmer of Self-Serving Darkness

After a short scuffle with Saiki, Nick again retreats from the group, only to run into a load of trouble at the very edge of the Forest Haven. Akatsuki wants to get his anger out of the way, and he feels he has no choice but to fight Nick. However, during the battle that ensues, a horrified Nick realizes that he, too, has been touched by the Shadow...


	8. A Glimmer of Self Serving Darkness

Few things are as powerful in this world as someone fighting for what they care about.

I have seen this first hand with the new light prophet.

He has two girls that are very dear to his heart, and so many friends he can rely on when situations become seemingly impassable.

It is one of the few constants in this collapsing world that true strength comes for fighting for what you believe in.

However, something is off about this light prophet.

Like his predecessor before him, there is a darkness teetering through his light.

I can not be sure, but I have no idea what kind of darkness it could be.

Is it the natural darkness that every being possesses, similar to what the prince of the night uses?

Or is it that corruptible darkness, born of discord and chaos, the very same darkness wielded by the Shadow itself?

I have no way to say for sure, in my weakened state.

I only hope that the boy can find and release me from this godforsaken prison soon.

In the end, strong as it is, he may need my help to fully conquer the Shadow.

Because the light prophet of the ancient days did not defeat the Shadow without paying a high price, one that just about fragmented the world as I knew it.

I pray that such a tragedy will never come to pass again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(There may be forces in this world we don't understand, but I believe we make our own miracles.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star  
_Story Created: May 30th, 2009  
This Chapter: August 1st, 2010  
Rated: T for Teen (for intense scenes, violence, and intimate moments. Basically, my usual.)

Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...

On Today's Episode: After a short scuffle with Saiki, Nick again retreats from the group, only to run into a load of trouble at the very edge of the Forest Haven. Akatsuki wants to get his anger out of the way, and he feels he has no choice but to fight Nick. However, during the battle that ensues, a horrified Nick realizes that he, too, has been touched by the Shadow...

Disclaimer (since I know I have to put this): I don't own ANYTHING related to _Ojamajo Doremi_, and you people know that. It belongs solely to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their country. There, now you can't sue me for it. Hahaha. I win.

Note: _Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star_ IS the actual title of the story, but I changed it for the site since the whole name wouldn't fit. DAMN IT

Note 2: Yuki Shinoya and her witch apprentice team, who will be appearing in this story, belong to YukiShinoya444. I DO have her permission to use her characters in my stories, just so you know.

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Chapter 8: A Glimmer of Self-Serving Darkness

Nick continued to run, not daring to look back. He just felt lucky that Yuki had stopped him and Saiki from nearly tearing each other's throats out again.

But something wasn't right here.

Normally, he and Saiki were always on good terms, if a little tense around each other for reasons they both understood.

But now, with the Elemental Ones released and the veil of the Shadow starting to fall, it felt like every time he even glanced at the night elemental, Nick just wanted to obliterate him.

It was something he couldn't really pinpoint, and it honestly scared the hell out of him.

"_Why is it that every time we get Nick-kun back, we lose him again?" Moriko asked._

"_I... really don't know that myself," Momoko admitted._

"There's something that just isn't right here..." Nick wondered, reflecting on everything that had happened so far and wondering how it had come to this.

All of a sudden, a sphere of light surrounded Nick, causing him to stop dead in his tracks.

"What the...?" was all Nick had the time to say before being whisked away.

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"It's not fair," Momoko stated, kicking at a random rock. "Why does Nick always have to leave?"

"I honestly have no clue, Momo-chan," Yuki answered. "But I wonder if it has something to do with that boy he keeps fighting with..."

"You mean Saiki-kun?" Moriko queried.

Yuki tilted her head to the side. "Um... who is that?"

The jade witch just groaned. _She really has forgotten all about him... what did that Shadow thing do to screw things up this badly, huh?_

"Oh, is that his name?" Yuki wondered. "It sounds kinda silly..."

"This is weirdin' me out," Aiko stated, sweatdropping.

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Nick rematerialized at the center of a mysterious platform that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. The sky was, strangely, tinted multiple colors; Nick could see shades of yellow, pink, and blue across this sky filled with stars. The floor of the platform he was standing on was decorated with the mysterious and ancient symbols that he'd seen on the bodies of the four Elemental Ones.

"Um... could someone please explain this to me?" Nick asked nobody in particular.

_You have the strength._

"Who said that?" Nick shouted, looking around furiously.

_Do not be afraid, my young warrior. I mean you absolutely no harm._

There was something peculiar about the voice of whoever was talking to him; it sounded a lot like Momoko, but a little higher-pitched and more floaty.

_In fact, I can help you with this quest of yours._

"Um... what do you know about what's been going on?"

_The world has fallen into an eternal night since the Elemental Ones have been released. There are two young heroes that have the power to restore this world to its natural state before it is too late for everyone. You are one of them, and I was brought into existence to help you in that task._

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the mists surrounding the Embedded Tower. It appeared to be an alien figure, like the Elemental Ones, but much smaller. Its body and appendages were all shaped like crescent moons, and its skin was a combination of the same three colors he'd seen in the skies around the Embedded Tower.

"What in the...?"

_My name is Cresselia, Deity of the Lunar Moon. I can give you more strength to help you in your crusade against the Shadow._

Nick tilted his head to the side. "I'm a light prophet, right? Isn't my natural magic enough to stop this Shadow thing?"

Cresselia shook her head. _The 'before time' was different, young one. The light prophet of the ancient days was a completely different soul. He was mostly light, whereas you possess a mixture of darkness and light. Your light must be stronger than your darkness if you hope to stand against the Shadow._

Cresselia's antennae began to glow brightly, and soon enough, Nick was covered in a similar glow. When the light receded, Cresselia waved her antennae.

_You now hold my power of the Twin Moons. Use it well._

And before Nick could ask, he was again whisked back to the real world.

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When Nick was sure he was back in the Forest Haven, he shook his head a few times, trying to clear some of the haze out of his head about recent events.

_Cresselia... Lunar Moon... Twin Heavens... WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?_ Nick thought. _This is idiotic nonsense. It's like every time a new player in this farce is introduced, I seem to understand less and less about what's going on..._

His train of thought crashed to a screeching stop as he sensed a familiar energy nearby.

Nick quickly shifted into battle stance, quite sure of who was standing a few feet away from him.

"Oh, not him again..." Nick groaned, turning around to face his opponent.

Nick was surprised to find Akatsuki standing there instead of who he originally thought it was.

"Hey," Akatsuki greeted.

"Hey yourself," Nick responded, a little uneasy. He didn't know Akatsuki as well as everyone else, but he knew enough to know that he was very dedicated to Saiki, and considering what had happened near the beginning of the scuffles with the Elemental Ones, he was a little worried.

"Having a rough time, I heard?" Akatsuki casually asked.

"To say the least," Nick responded, visibly relaxing a bit. It didn't seem like Akatsuki was going to attack him. "I suppose you know what's been going on?"

"A bit of this and that," Akatsuki explained. "This Shadow thing is basically trying to destroy everything it can, and these Elemental Ones are its minions."

"Pretty much," Nick continued. "We've already taken care of two of the Elemental Ones, and I just had a run in with Kami-chan during a trip I was forced to take to Tartarus."

"Kami-chan? You mean the Akuko girl?" Akatsuki pondered. Kami Akuko was someone he hadn't heard of for a long time, at least since the first incident with Majoaku. Apparently, Saiki seemed to still be a bit touchy about THAT issue.

"Yeah, her. It's really a long story," Nick continued.

"You don't need to explain everything, Nick-kun. It'd probably be impossible to explain stuff like that."

"I should probably get going. The girls are probably worried sick about me," Nick conceded, ready to take his leave before something happened. Akatsuki just nodded.

However, before Nick could even take two steps...

_"Araidasu!"_

Nick spun around just in time for a massive burst of light to scream forward and strike him in the chest, causing him to fly backwards and slam straight into a tree.

Once he'd picked himself up, he brandished Hanyou Hikari angrily. "What was THAT for?"

Akatsuki didn't look angry at all, but he had shifted into a battle stance. "I'm sorry I had to do that, Nick-kun, but I have to get this out of the way. I really don't want to be angry at you for something so silly, so we have to fight, okay?"

"Jeez..." Nick groaned, bringing his weapon into a fighting stance. "Akatsuki-kun, your brother almost killed me for mis-assuming something that happened earlier. If he sees me fighting you, I think he's really going to kill me without hesitating."

"I'll take care of otouto-chan if it comes to that," Akatsuki responded. "I just don't want to be angry at you for something so silly, so I need to get this out of the way."

_Saiki-kun's gonna kill me for this,_ Nick thought. _But Akatsuki-kun won't leave me alone unless we get this out of the way. Might as well try to finish this off quickly so I don't have to... WHOA! Where the hell did THAT thought come from?_

Nick didn't have any time to ruminate on that strange thought, as Akatsuki had just charged right for him.

Nick quickly did a horizontal slash, but Akatsuki easily blocked the strike with a quick light-energy shield.

Nick was confused as to how Akatsuki could make a shield out of pure light, but decided to just attribute it to the young prince's status as a daytime elemental.

"All right, see how you like THIS!" Nick shouted, raising Hanyou Hikari into the air, where wind and emerald energy began to spiral around the glowing green blade.

_"Heavenly Tempest!"_

Nick swung his weapon down, sending a spiral of emerald energy roaring straight at Akatsuki, but the young prince easily blocked it with another shield, this one much stronger than before.

_Man, is this guy for real?_ Nick thought, slashing around with Hanyou Hikari to block each light-charged attack that Akatsuki sent his way.

Nick was too focused on blocking each of Akatsuki's attacks to notice that the daytime elemental was charging up for a very powerful attack.

As Nick blocked another attack, Akatsuki shoved the green witch back a couple yards before aiming straight for him.

_"Heaven's Will!"_

Hundreds of golden energy bursts thundered out of Akatsuki's open hands and slammed into Nick's chest, which, to Akatsuki, apparently hit a sore spot, causing a lot more damage than usual.

Nick slowly picked himself up. "Damn it, this is going to take longer than I expected... I can't even lay a damn finger on this kid!"

"**Would you like to be able to hurt him?"**

Nick jumped a bit, shocked at having heard such a weird voice in his head.

_Hey, whoever you are, shut up! I'm not going to hurt Akatsuki-kun, mostly because Saiki-kun would kill me if I did!_

**Yet this boy attacked you for no apparent reason other than to get his anger out. Doesn't that piss you off?**

_Shut up. I'm not in any mood for strange voices in my head._

**Oh, very well. It seems like I have to do everything nowadays.**

Nick was about to prepare for another of Akatsuki's attacks, something very strange happened.

Nick froze in mid-stance, causing Akatsuki to stop in confusion.

Before the daytime elemental could react, Nick's eyes shifted to a mysterious shade of purple, and he raised his hands towards Akatsuki and unleashed a stream of dark energy.

The dark stream enveloped Akatsuki, and he struggled to keep from being consumed by the darkness. Though he was a daytime elemental, and could naturally repel all forms of unnatural darkness, this wasn't as easy to repel.

_What... what just happened to Kellysi-kun?_ Akatsuki wondered. After about a minute, he was able to dispel the darkness surrounding him.

Nick glared at the daytime elemental, speaking three words in an oddly distorted and hollow voice.

"It has begun."

The instant those words left Nick's mouth, his eyes flashed back to their normal brown hue, and he shook his head frantically.

"Ugh... wha... what just happened?" Nick wondered, speaking in his normal voice.

Akatsuki noticed that Nick didn't seem to have any memory of what had just happened.

"You okay, Kellysi-kun?" Akatsuki tentatively asked.

Nick tilted his head to the side in confusion. He didn't even get a chance to open his mouth and respond as his body suddenly exploded in a hellstorm of pain and agony.

Akatsuki looked behind Nick and noticed that Saiki had reappeared, jamming a powerful-looking blade of dark energy straight through the green witch's back.

"You son of a bitch," Saiki growled fiercely, harshly retracting his blade and causing Nick to scream in agony. "First you take my girlfriend away from me, and now you're trying to kill my brother, the last precious thing I have in my life because of you?"

"Stop with your stupid self-serving lies, Saiki-kun!" Nick exclaimed, trying in vain to ignore the pain shredding his body apart. "I didn't even want to fight Akatsuki-kun in the first place, because I knew you were going to kill me if I did!"

Saiki glared directly into Nick's eyes, nothing but anger and hate in his coal eyes.

"You're damn right I'm going to kill you, you selfish little jerkoff."

Saiki slammed Nick against a tree, then jammed his blade into the green witch's chest again, though this time, dark energy exploded out of Nick's wound, only adding to the immense damage he had taken.

"This time, you're not coming back," Saiki growled. Nick slowly slid down the tree to the ground, unable to even muster the energy to blink, his body was in so much pain.

Akatsuki just stood there, flabbergasted at what his younger brother had just done. "Um... uh, otouto-chan, do you realize what you just did?"

"I told that son of a bitch that I was going to kill him," Saiki growled. "He got what he deserved."

"But, Saiki-kun..."

Saiki just shrugged it off, taking his brother's hand and leading him away. "Just leave him. He's not even worth your time."

And within seconds, Saiki had teleported away, taking his brother with him.

Nick was alone now, on the verge of bleeding to death from his wounds.

"H... help," Nick gasped, not caring how pathetic he sounded.

He could only raise his hand to nothingness in a futile gesture before letting it fall limp and slipping into the darkness.

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Next time:

Chapter 9: Attuned to the Ways of the World

Nick is in quite a pickle. With his life hanging by a very thin thread, and with everyone else quite far away from where he is, he can only hope that one of his friends will realize what's happening and rush to his aid before it's too late for him to be saved...


	9. Attuned to the Ways of the World

It has become far worse than I imagined.

The prince of the night is slowly losing himself to his own dark power.

One would believe him to be corrupted by the Shadow, but the prince of the night could never be taken by the Shadow's darkness, due to his own special darkness.

Which is odd, considering that the prince of the night from the ancient days was the one who brought the Shadow back from its prison.

Not even I am sure why.

I fear for the light prophet's life, as none of his friends are near.

I would do the job myself, but I still am bound to this unholy prison, all thanks to the Shadow's rage.

Arceus... this has gone on far enough.

You must quell your stupid rage before it destroys the world.

Though I have seen firsthand the consequences of defying the creator of this universe.

But his time in captivity has clouded his mind.

What I would like to know is where he got those dark powers that turned him into the Shadow...

I hope that if the light prophet survives, he will find a way to release me. He needs my power if he hopes to stand a chance against Arceus...

If the light prophet falls, this world will lost.

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(There may be forces in this world we don't understand, but I believe we make our own miracles.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star  
_Story Created: May 30th, 2009  
This Chapter: November 14th, 2010

Rated: T for Teen (for intense scenes, violence, and intimate moments. Basically, my usual.)

Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...

On Today's Episode: Nick is in quite a pickle. With his life hanging by a very thin thread, and with everyone else quite far away from where he is, he can only hope that one of his friends will realize what's happening and rush to his aid before it's too late for him to be saved...

Disclaimer (since I know I have to put this): I don't own ANYTHING related to _Ojamajo Doremi_, and you people know that. It belongs solely to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their country. There, now you can't sue me for it. Hahaha. I win.

Note: _Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star_ IS the actual title of the story, but I changed it for the site since the whole name wouldn't fit. DAMN IT

Note 2: Yuki Shinoya and her witch apprentice team, who will be appearing in this story, belong to YukiShinoya444. I DO have her permission to use her characters in my stories, just so you know.

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Chapter 9: Attuned to the Ways of the World

A sharp pain shot through Momoko's head, causing her to collapse to her knees. Everyone turned around upon hearing Momoko's cry of agony, but Yuki was the first to rush up to the yellow witch's aid.

"You okay, Momo-chan? What just happened?" Yuki asked.

Momoko shook her head, implying she didn't know. "All of a sudden, I just felt like something went horribly wrong..."

Another pain shot through her head, but before Momoko could clutch her head, Yuki rested her hand on the yellow witch's forehead, sending a quick healing spell through her.

"Thanks, Yuki-chan."

"Anything to help!"

Momoko looked behind her. _I know what that pain meant. Nick's in a lot of trouble._

"We'd better move, Yuki-chan. I've got this bad feeling that Nick's in trouble."

"Nick-kun's in danger? Well, let's get moving, then!"

Momoko and Yuki rushed away, leaving a confused Aiko to shout towards them.

"We'll catch up later, guys!" Yuki shouted back.

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_What... what is this?_

**Soon, it will be time.**

_You're not making much sense._

**I don't have to. It won't be much longer before the entire world is covered in darkness.**

_Isn't there anything I can do?_

**At this rate, boy, no. Don't you remember what Groudon said? "This world will fall to chaos..."**

_...it's all my fault..._

"**...and there's nothing you can do to stop it."**

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It didn't take long for Momoko and Yuki to arrive at where they'd first sensed the disturbance.

"I don't see anything, Momo-chan. Do you think that Foreseer jerk was trying to trick us?" Yuki wondered, only to be interrupted by a VERY loud scream from Momoko.

Yuki would have asked Momoko what she'd just screamed about, but when she turned around, Yuki couldn't make a single sound after seeing Nick's mangled body.

"AAH! Momo-chan, what happened to him?" Yuki exclaimed.

Momoko wasted no time in rushing up to her boyfriend's battered self, her hands beginning to glow brightly.

_"Soten kisshun, I reject!"_

Silver light covered Nick's body, but Momoko was shocked to find that the spell didn't have any effect.

A strange twinge in Momoko's brain told her that she needed to do something fast, as she could easily feel Nick's life slipping away drop by drop.

"Um... excuse me?"

Akatsuki had just poked back into the area, and Momoko instantly took notice of this, rushing up to the daytime elemental.

"Akatsuki-kun, what the hell happened to my boyfriend?" Momoko exclaimed, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Otouto-chan did this," Akatsuki answered reluctantly. "He took something Kellysi-kun said to me the wrong way and just about killed him. Saiki-kun wouldn't let me help him and dragged me back to the Wizard World. I finally got away by telling him that Oyajide-san needed me for something."

"I seriously need your help, Akatsuki-kun!" Momoko shouted. "I tried a healing spell on Nick, and it didn't do squat! Please, if there's anything you can do to help, please do it! I hate to beg you, of all people!"

Momoko walked back over to her boyfriend, and was surprised when Akatsuki rested his hands on her shoulders and began transferring light energy into her.

"Okay, Momo-chan. Try it now."

Momoko nodded, focusing on Nick.

_"Soten kisshun! I REJECT!"_

This time, Nick was surrounded by a massive yellow light along with the spell's normal silver color.

Momoko was very relieved to see that this time, the spell had worked, healing Nick completely. Normally, Momoko knew that the spell couldn't heal a fatal injury, but that must have changed when Akatsuki had added his own power to the spell.

"Oh, thank god," Momoko whispered to nobody in particular.

Slowly but surely, Nick managed to stir. His breathing was labored, as was obvious after having taken such immense damage, but he appeared to be all right.

"Oh, dear god, my head..." Nick groaned. He had a serious headache.

Momoko smiled down at her boyfriend, gently slipping her dainty arms around him. She knew what had happened the last time he had a headache and she'd inadvertently glomped him.

"Momoko? That you?"

"You're not hallucinating, are you?"

"Not that I know of," Nick responded.

Momoko couldn't help but smile. "Good."

Momoko leaned forward, and Nick couldn't help but caress her cheek. Leaning in, Nick connected his lips to Momoko's.

The two lovers held their liplock for a good twenty seconds. Yuki just smiled brightly at the display of love.

"See, Momo-chan?" Akatsuki laughed. "He'll be okay. Kellysi-kun's strong."

Nick was quite surprised to see Akatsuki back on the scene, especially after what had just transpired.

"What are you doing back here, Akatsuki-kun?" Nick asked, still catching his breath. "Last time you were here, your brother just about sent me to hell."

"I managed to shake him off back home," Akatsuki answered. "I honestly didn't know he was going to do that to you, otherwise I would have helped you sooner."

"You could have healed me before you left!" Nick exclaimed. "I know you have that kind of power!"

Nick was quite surprised to see a look of confusion on Akatsuki's face.

"Um, Kellysi-kun, would you rather I be injured like you were?" Akatsuki quipped. "You know that without your kind of healing spell, any injury I heal gets transferred to me."

Nick's expression didn't change, though. "Don't be daft with me, Akatsuki-kun. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Suddenly, Akatsuki's expression became one of surprise as well. "I'm surprised you know, Kellysi-kun."

"It wasn't hard to figure out," Nick responded.

"What? What's going on?" Yuki wondered, question marks flickering over her head. "Why does it always feel I accidentally skipped a chapter?"

"Akatsuki-kun's a light prophet, like I am," Nick stated. "A prophet's elemental powers are ten times that of your average magic user. Combine that with the fact that Akatsuki-kun is a light elemental, and... well, that's a recipe for incredibly strong light magic, enough to heal me no problem without any stupid side effects."

"But your light magic is stronger than mine is by far," Akatsuki continued. "I know you're basically the reincarnation of the light prophet who sealed the Shadow away so long ago. I am quite well-versed in that legend, Kellysi-kun."

"Then I suppose you know why your brother tried to slaughter me?" Nick wondered.

"That boy was referring to me for some reason," Yuki stated. "I hope he wasn't mad at me..."

This, naturally, surprised Akatsuki. "Yuki-chan, did you just say..."

"The Shadow's responsible for that," Nick interrupted, knowing what Akatsuki was about to wonder. "He shattered her bond with Saiki-kun, and she completely forgot who he is. But apparently, he didn't forget her, and SOMETHING in his head snapped and... well, he fabricated this stupid idea that it was my fault that all of this happened, and that's pretty much why he tried to kill me back there."

"He seemed upset when I said that Nick-kun was my boyfriend," Yuki noted. "Does he like me or something?"

Nick looked up into the sky. _Oh, this isn't good. I have a feeling that Saiki-kun's gonna be coming after me until their bond is back together. And considering the way things are going right now, that could take a really flippin' long time..._

By the time Nick was finished thinking, Yuki had walked up and threw her arms around him, cuddling close to him. Out of instinct, Nick cast a glance at Momoko, who just smiled and nodded, silently saying 'It's okay'.

Nick smiled in relief before returning Yuki's embrace. He knew he'd need all the support he could if he was going to prevail over the Shadow.

"Yuki-chan?" Nick asked.

"Yeah?" Yuki responded, tilting her head in a cute manner.

"If this world does fall to chaos... would it really be my fault?"

Yuki's eyes almost bugged out at that simple statement. She quickly hugged Nick tighter.

"Nick-kun, don't start, okay?" Yuki stated, though not unkindly. "Don't believe Groudon's crap. He was just trying to make you lose your confidence. That wouldn't be the Nick-kun I know and love..."

Nick couldn't help but smile. Yuki always knew just what to say.

Yuki leaned down so she could peck Nick on the cheek. "I love you, Nick-kun."

"I love you, too, Yuki-chan."

All of a sudden, Nick noticed something approaching fast.

"YUKI-CHAN, INCOMING!" Nick screamed, hopping to his feet and leaping out of the way with Yuki still in his arms. This quick thinking allowed Nick to avoid a massive cylinder of white-hot energy that struck the ground where he had been not a second previously. The shot would have obliterated the two had Nick not reacted in time.

"What the heck was that?" Momoko exclaimed.

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"Saiki-san? Where'd you go?" Kami exclaimed, searching for her crush. She hadn't seen him since that incident back at the Forest Haven.

"I sincerely hope he's not trying to kill Nick-kun..." Kami gasped. "That wouldn't be the Saiki-san I love..."

Kami looked around, still not seeing any sign of her crush.

"SAIKI-SAAAAAAAN!" Kami shouted, her voice echoing throughout the forests.

"Not so loud, Kami-chan."

She instantly spun around, hearts floating above her head.

"Saiki-san, there you are!" Kami giggled, rushing up to hug Saiki.

Saiki just stood there and let Kami glomp him. He wasn't in the best of moods at the moment.

"Nick-kun is still alive, isn't he?" Saiki asked off-handedly.

"Well, of course he is," Kami answered, not really knowing what had just happened at the edge of the Forest Haven. "He's the one that's gonna save the world as he always does, right?"

"But I killed that son of a bitch," Saiki growled.

Kami's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets at that simple statement. "You WHAT?"

"I told that bastard that I couldn't forgive what he did to me," Saiki explained. "First he takes the love of my life away from me, and then he tries to take my brother? That jerk got what he deserved."

Kami facepalmed. _This can't be good. Saiki-san's slipping away from me! It's like everytime something bad happens, he keeps falling further into despair. Even if he's still in love with Yuki-chan, I have to try and help him._

"Saiki-kun?"

"What?"

Kami smiled, linking her arms with Saiki's. "Walk with me, talk with me."

Saiki actually calmed down a bit at this contact, which made Kami very happy.

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"What the hell just tried to kill us?" Yuki exclaimed, still shivering from that rather close call.

"Take a wild guess," Nick responded, pointing into the air.

Floating there in the stratosphere, twisting and turning like the serpent he was, was Rayquaza, Deity of the Sky and the third of the Elemental Ones.

"Looks like I found some live ones," Rayquaza growled. "I'm surprised you brats survived the destruction of that pathetic bay port you call a city."

Rayquaza's taunting was interrupted as a flurry of twilight energy beams hammered at his bulky, serpent-like body.

"Don't you DARE talk about my hometown like that, you oversized lizard!" Yuki exclaimed, her hands brimming with twilight energy.

"But it got what it deserved for opposing us, the recreators of this world."

"Look, lizardman, I'm going to tell you exactly what I told Groudon," Yuki growled as Nick summoned his weapon and shifted into a fighting stance. "If you release the Shadow into the world, it's going to destroy EVERYTHING! You sons of bitches can't dominate a world that doesn't exist!"

"As Groudon said, nothing but acceptable collateral damage."

"Okay, freak, I'm pretty sick of this stupid crap," Nick shot back. "I've got my own problems to deal with right now, and I can't really concentrate on solving them with you constantly getting in my way!"

Nick, to the others' surprise, sheathed his weapon. "Yuki-chan, can you and Momoko distract him? I need some time here."

"Time for what?" Yuki asked, a question mark appearing over her head, but it quickly vanished when she realized what Nick was referring to, giving him a cute thumbs-up before stepping up to face the Deity of the Sky.

As Yuki faced down Rayquaza, Nick held his hands out, the seven Majokai Crystals appearing brightly around him.

"Another one steps up to die, huh?" Rayquaza noted. "You're writing your own death warrant, twilight princess."

"Put up or shut up, serpent boy," Yuki giggled.

Rayquaza answered the challenge, instantly charging straight for Yuki. She summoned Tobiume and readied it.

Just when Rayquaza got close enough...

"_Come forth, o lightning, and receive your punishment!"_ Yuki shouted, Tobiume glowing a bright blackish-blue. _"Mystic Arte! Radiant Moonlight!"_

Yuki swung Tobiume vertically, slashing at Rayquaza's body with a massive wave of twilight energy.

"Wretched brat!" Rayquaza shouted, opening his fanged maw and unleashing a massive translucent beam that Yuki couldn't dodge in time, tearing shreds into her outfit and causing her quite a bit of damage.

"Ouchies... that actually hurt..." Yuki groaned, falling to her knees. She felt weak after having been struck by Rayquaza's Aeroblast move, which was intended to attack a target's weak spot.

"Ancient virtues of the Majokai... I call upon your powers... give me the strength to overcome this corrupted deity!" Nick chanted, the crystals beginning to glow.

"Promise..." The red crystal shined.

"Duty..." The blue crystal shined.

"Strength..." The yellow crystal shined.

"Wisdom..." The green crystal shined.

"Purity..." The silver crystal shined.

"Conviction..." The aquamarine crystal shined.

"Courage..." The amethyst crystal shined.

"Now, I unite the seven virtues that the crystals hold! Sacred world of the witches, lend me your strength!"

The crystals flashed twice before absorbing themselves into Nick's body, the green witch calling on their powers to shift into his super form.

"Yuki-chan, I've got a clear shot!" Nick exclaimed. "Get out of the way!"

"NOW YOU DIE!" Rayquaza bellowed, unleashing another Aeroblast straight for Yuki.

"_Santen kesshun, I reject!"_

Momoko had rushed in front of Yuki just in time to set up a diamond-hard shield that stopped the Aeroblast cold.

"HURRY, NICK!" Momoko shouted. "I can't hold this back forever!"

Cracks had started to form in the shield as Momoko continued to hold the Aeroblast back.

"Eat this, dragon boy," Nick growled, holding his hands straight towards Rayquaza.

"_Starlight of miracles, unite in my hands! Final Ojamajo Prism Cannon!"_

Nick's body flashed as he unleashed an immense rainbow-colored energy burst that screamed into the sky, parting the clouds and everything in its way as it roared straight towards Rayquaza, who was still using his Aeroblast and didn't notice the blast coming.

Rayquaza only had time to notice the rainbow beam coming towards him before the blast struck him harshly and tore through his flesh and bones, forcing the Deity of the Sky to scream in abject agony. This motion caused the Aeroblast that Momoko was resisting to dissipate harmlessly just before her shield could break.

Once the rainbow beam dissipated, Rayquaza had been completely split in half by the Prism Cannon, his middle body torn to nothingness.

"What... what unbelievable power..."

And with that, Rayquaza had spoken his last, fading away until nothing remained of him.

"Yes," Nick proclaimed, pumping his fist in victory. Once the battlefield was calm, Nick walked up to the shivering Yuki, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"_Soten kisshun, I reject!"_

Yuki shined brightly as her wounds were healed. "Nick-kun... another one down... right?"

"Yep, and only one asshole to go," Nick replied, reaching down to hug the black witch.

But as Yuki reached over for a kiss, something struck Nick in the back and forced him crashing into the ground.

"Oh, not you again!" Yuki screamed when she realized it was the Foreseer, the embodiment of Nick's dark side and a willing servant of the Shadow.

"What are you doing here, you stupid fake?" Momoko shouted, hopping to her feet and moving into a fighting stance.

"I am merely here to collect what's mine," the Foreseer responded.

"What's your damage, jerkface?" Nick shouted.

"Don't talk. Just listen."

The Foreseer sauntered over to Nick and leaned down to whisper something into his ear.

"Tyger, Tyger, burning bright in the forests of the night, what immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry?"

Nick's eyes widened to their fullest as the Foreseer recited the ancient poem.

"In what distant deeps or skies, burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire?"

As the Foreseer continued his recital, Nick's mind suddenly flashed back to something from his past.

"And what shoulder, and what art, could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, what dread hand? And what dread feet?"

The memories were hazy even now, but Nick saw three things from his former six-year-old memory: a pair of knives...

"What the hammer? What the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? What dread grasp dare its deadly terrors clasp!"

...a pair of piercing black eyes...

"When the stars threw down their spears and water'd heaven with their tears, did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee?"

...and someone reciting this very poem in front of him and the victims.

"Tyger, Tyger, burning bright in the forests of the night, what immortal hand or eye, dare frame thy fearful symmetry?"

Nick's eyes narrowed hatefully once the Foreseer had finished.

"YOU!" Nick screamed, Hanyou Hikari appearing in his right hand so he could slash it forward and leave a deep gash across the Foreseer's chest.

"So, it took you this long to figure it out?" the Foreseer sneered.

"Wow, Kellysi-kun, why are you so worked up over this guy?" Akatsuki wondered.

Nick gripped the hilt of Hanyou Hikari so tightly that his knuckles hurt.

"Because this son of a bitch murdered my parents."

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Next time:

Chapter 10: The Demon That Sleeps in the Darkness

When Nick reveals that the Foreseer was the very person that murdered his parents when he was just a kid, the Ojamajos' quest becomes even more complicated than it already was when the Foreseer mocks Nick with the fact that even he will eventually fall to the darkness of the Shadow...


	10. The Demon That Sleeps in the Darkness

So far, things are progressing exactly as I have planned.

The prince of the night is slowly losing himself to his own power.

The light prophet is on the verge of being taken by the darkness.

The twilight princess is in danger of losing her powers.

All as I have planned.

Even the Foreseer has done a venerable job in leading the light prophet further into the darkness of his soul.

The only wild card out there as of this moment is her.

The restless spirit that has wandered since the ancient days.

A lost soul, searching for her vessel.

I know her plan.

She plans to reunite with her vessel of the modern days.

I must stop her at all costs.

This woman's spirit is the only way that my plans can be thwarted.

I must not allow that to happen.

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(There may be forces in this world we don't understand, but I believe we make our own miracles.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star  
_Story Created: May 30th, 2009  
This Chapter: July 2nd, 2011

Rated: T for Teen (for intense scenes, violence, and intimate moments. Basically, my usual.)

Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...

On Today's Episode: When Nick reveals that the Foreseer was the very person that murdered his parents when he was just a kid, the Ojamajos' quest becomes even more complicated than it already was when the Foreseer mocks Nick with the fact that even he will eventually fall to the darkness of the Shadow...

Disclaimer (since I know I have to put this): I don't own ANYTHING related to _Ojamajo Doremi_, and you people know that. It belongs solely to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their country. There, now you can't sue me for it. Hahaha. I win.

Note: _Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star_ IS the actual title of the story, but I changed it for the site since the whole name wouldn't fit. DAMN IT

Note 2: Yuki Shinoya and her witch apprentice team, who will be appearing in this story, belong to YukiShinoya444. I DO have her permission to use her characters in my stories, just so you know.

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Chapter 10: The Demon That Sleeps in the Darkness

"I've got you now, you son of a bitch," Nick growled, gripping Hanyou Hikari tightly in both of his hands.

"Nick-kun, did you just say... that this guy killed your parents?" Yuki asked, still staying in tense mode.

"I was never sure all these years," Nick answered, staring down the Foreseer as he grinned deviously. "One of the few things I remember about that day was the killer reciting that poem. When this jerkoff started saying it, I just knew."

"So, you understand the truth, boy?" the Foreseer sneered. "It won't do you any good, you know that?"

"Look who's talking, freak show!" Nick shouted, a few tears falling from his eyes. "My parents meant the world to me! Why in god's name did it have to be you, of all people?"

The Foreseer stood his ground, casually twirling his longsword. "I came to deliver a message from the Shadow himself."

"So the rat finally came out from the sewers?" Nick noted. "What's he got to say?"

"He says that everything is going according to plan," the Foreseer responded. "It will not be much longer before this world is covered with eternal darkness. And you, Nick, are no different."

"And just what is THAT supposed to mean, you cheap knock-off?" Yuki exclaimed, ripping out her wand and transforming it into Shutsuga Tobiume.

"Simple, twilight princess," the Foreseer shot back. "None of you are immune to the darkness that is covering this world. Any one of you could become a pawn of the Shadow. Fortunately for you and you..." The Foreseer pointed at Yuki and Akatsuki as he said this. "...the Shadow needs the both of you for his plan. As for you, however..." Now the Foreseer pointed at Nick. "...there's no denying it, Nick. What you did to the prince of the night has upset this world's balance. You will eventually fall to the darkness and be consumed by it. Make no mistake."

"Even if that's true," Nick stated, readying his weapon, "I'm not going easily. If you want to drag me into the darkness, you'll have to drag me kicking and screaming!"

The Foreseer laughed at this, a very hollow-sounding laughed that creeped Yuki out. "Another time, my boy. Another time. Meanwhile, you have a friend to play with."

Before Nick could rush forward and strike, the Foreseer had vanished in a flash of darkness.

"Remind me later to kill that guy," Nick groaned.

"Don't worry about it, Nick-kun," Yuki giggled, walking up and latching onto Nick's free arm affectionately. "He's not even worth your time."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Nick responded, letting his weapon dematerialize.

Momoko watched the exchange with a smile. She had long since accepted the fact that Yuki was falling in love with Nick, due to the Shadow's interference. The Shadow had destroyed Yuki's bond with Saiki in an attempt to obtain her power of twilight. Due to this, Yuki had completely forgotten who Saiki was and what he had meant to her. Saiki, however, hadn't forgotten her, and this made an already bad situation even worse when he had blamed Nick for Yuki's memory loss and just about killed the green witch. Nick had very quickly realized that Saiki wouldn't stop coming after him until Yuki got her memory back, and he had no idea when that would be at this point.

"The thing is, he's in league with the Shadow, right?" Nick noted. "Eventually, we're gonna need to wring some answers out of him."

"We'll get him in time," Yuki stated, leaning forward to kiss Nick on the cheek.

_That girl just makes me melt sometimes..._ Nick thought, blushing a bit.

The moment was suddenly shattered as a massive collection of psychic energy struck him in the back and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Hey, who did that?" Yuki shouted, summoning her weapon.

"That, sweetcakes, would be me."

Yuki looked up to see something floating in the air. It was Deoxys, Deity of the Stars and the last of the four Elemental Ones.

"Hey, here's a hint, freak," Yuki growled. "Don't EVER call me 'sweetcakes'!"

"What, you don't like nicknames?" Deoxys sneered. "But anyway, down to business. I noticed you've already slaughtered my comrades, and that means I won't let you leave this forest alive."

"Oh, really?" Nick challenged. "You're the last asshole we need to destroy if we're going to fix things, so how about you shut your fat mouth before I shut it for you?"

"Now we're getting somewhere," Deoxys answered. "Let's go, if you think you're ready!"

Nick answered this challenge by drawing an energy circle with Hanyou Hikari.

"Eat this! _Aura Crescent!_"

Nick slashed through the energy circle, and this unleashed a barrage of crescent blades that sliced at Deoxys' prone form, doing a good chunk of damage.

"So, you've gotten better since the last time we fought," Deoxys noted. "Guess it's time I showed you one of my tricks."

As Nick charged straight for him, Deoxys suddenly transformed into a more muscular form of himself. The green witch's incoming attack just bounced right off.

"Oh, that's just not fair!" Momoko shouted.

"Let me try," Akatsuki stated, holding his hands out and shooting a blast of light at Deoxys, forcing him back into his normal form.

"Oh, you stupid little BRAT!" Deoxys shouted, rushing towards Nick and slamming him into the ground with another wave of psychic energy.

"So, you're pretty tough, aren't you?" Deoxys sneered. "One Psycho Boost is enough to drive anyone that I hit with it completely insane. Judging by the fact that you're not writhing on the ground in agony, I assume you're strong enough to resist it?"

"Pretty much," Nick stated, grinning all the while. "I'm made of tougher stuff than I look."

"That means I can step it up," Deoxys replied, shifting his appearance into something incredibly sleek and streamlined. Before anyone could react, Deoxys disappeared.

"Where is he?" Yuki exclaimed. "I can't see him anymore!"

Nick just smiled, pulling out the seven Majokai Crystals and shifting into his super form. The next second, he rushed forward to meet blades with Deoxys, the added strength of his super form heightening his senses and allowing him to predict where the Deity of the Stars would strike next.

"What good do you think changing you hairstyle will do?" Deoxys taunted.

Nick just smirked, bringing his hands behind him and encasing Deoxys in a prism.

Flying back a couple feet, Nick raised his hands into the sky, energy beginning to gather in his palms.

"Hope this hurts, star boy," Nick stated. _"Mystic Arte! Cantata Mortis!"_

Hundreds of red energy beams converged on the prism at the same time, shattering the prism and causing quite a lot of damage to Deoxys.

"You're a lot stronger than I expected," Deoxys quipped. "I haven't had such a wonderful fight in eons."

"Then let's not wait any longer," Nick replied, shooting forward again.

Again, Nick was interrupted in the middle of his attack, this time by a sphere of dark energy.

Turning around, Nick spotted Saiki on the periphery of the forest, dark energy brimming around his hands.

"Oh, not you again!" Nick shouted. "Look, Saiki-kun, I'm kinda busy at the moment, so if we could maybe settle this another time..."

Nick was again answered by a point-blank blast of Makurayami to the face that sent him reeling, just enough of a distraction to be nailed by another Psycho Boost from Deoxys.

"Okay, it's bad enough that I'm getting double-teamed here, but it's worse that I have to deal with this guy right now!" Nick exclaimed, picking himself up. "Yuki-chan, can you deal with Deoxys while I take care of this little problem?"

"Of course, Nick-kun, but why is that boy trying to kill you?" Yuki asked as she readied her weapon.

"I'll explain when we're not in danger anymore!" Nick exclaimed, but that moment of distraction cost him, as Saiki had enough time to rush at him and pin the green witch to the ground.

Nick was about to raise his weapon and strike, regardless of the fact that Akatsuki was right there, but Saiki slammed his palm into Nick's chest and started draining energy from Nick, enough to force him to revert to normal.

"This time, I'm making sure that you won't be coming back," Saiki growled, forming a pair of dark energy swords on his hands, similar to what Yuki liked to use every now and then. "Steal my girlfriend away from me, will you? You're going to wish you'd never met me!"

"So, all four of the players are here, are they?" Deoxys quipped. "Well, it may be going against the master's orders, but I think I'll kill all of you this instant!"

Deoxys shifted back to his normal form and raised his hands, beginning to gather unholy amounts of psychic energy into his palms.

"Oh, that can't be good," Yuki noted.

Even Saiki stopped to look up at what Deoxys was doing, giving Nick enough time to shove him away.

Akatsuki immediately rushed to his brother's aid, attempting to lead him away from the battle scene.

But then, something very strange happened.

Just as Yuki was about to ready a counterattack, she froze completely, her weapon disappearing.

She twitched a couple times, her eyes wide open, then began to slowly walk towards Deoxys.

"Yuki-chan, GET AWAY!" Momoko shouted. "You don't want to get vaporized, do you?"

Yuki just ignored Momoko's statement and continued to approach Deoxys, as if she didn't have control of her own body.

"So, willing to die, are you, twilight princess?" Deoxys growled, aiming his attack for Yuki.

Yuki stopped just a few inches short of where Deoxys was floating, closing her eyes.

"I believe you would know me better than that, Deoxys," Yuki then stated in a voice that was clearly not her own.

At that instant, Yuki's eyes opened, and Nick immediately knew something weird had just happened.

Yuki's eyes were now dual-colored; both eyes were aqua-blue with a green shade highlighting her irises.

"Remember me?" Yuki quipped, suddenly throwing her arms outward. A sapphire sphere of energy appeared right in front of her chest, slowly expanding.

"What are you doing?" Deoxys wondered.

Yuki smiled, and with a quick gasp, threw the energy sphere she was holding straight for Deoxys at blinding speed. The Deity of the Stars couldn't react in time at the speed the attack was coming and was subsequently encased in a much larger sphere of sapphire light.

Yuki kneeled down, obviously praying to someone.

"Relinquish your pain unto me," Yuki stated in her different voice.

As she began to rise, she produced something from out of nowhere.

"What? How does she have this kind of power now?" Deoxys exclaimed. "Wait... no. That couldn't be!"

Yuki stood up completely, smiling brightly now.

"_Mystic Arte! D-TENERITAS!"_ Yuki exclaimed, throwing whatever she was holding (it appeared to be an elaborately decorated throwing knife) straight into the sphere encasing Deoxys.

"No... that can't be... IMPOSSIBLE!"

And with those last words, the sphere exploded in a brilliant flash of light, completely vaporizing Deoxys.

When the light cleared and the sphere was gone, there was absolutely nothing left of the Deity of the Stars.

Everyone was watching in stunned amazement as Yuki finished off Deoxys.

Akatsuki had taken this moment to lead Saiki away from the battlefield, visibly noticing Yuki's change.

_But that couldn't be... could it?_ Akatsuki thought as the two siblings disappeared to parts unknown.

Once the moment was calm again, Nick took a few uncertain steps towards Yuki, wondering if she was all right.

At that precise moment, Yuki turned around and smiled brightly at Nick, her now blue-green eyes twinkling in the light of the new moon.

"Hello, my love," Yuki stated. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

At first, Nick was confused. Why was she calling him that?

But after a few seconds of thought, all the pieces fell into place.

"You're the twilight princess," Nick noted. "From the ancient days, right?"

"That's right," Yuki replied. "You're still quite perceptive even after all this time."

"Okay, I'm actually a bit confused," Nick stated. "Could you maybe explain a few things to me, princess? I've kinda been stuck behind three thousand years of history."

"Anything for my dear prophet," Yuki giggled, turning to look up at the stars of the night.

"You see, three thousand years ago, my kingdom lived in harmony with the rest of the world. We had just escaped from a rather nasty war with the other kingdoms of the world. Back then, twilight magic was something that a lot of people were afraid of. Some of the more paranoid people believed that it was unnatural due to dark magic mixing with light magic," Yuki explained.

"Because it was something they didn't understand, right?" Nick answered.

"Exactly," Yuki continued. "The war had raged for almost one hundred years, and the only thing that ended it... was love. You see, near the end of the war, I met a light prophet from one of the neighboring kingdoms. He was your descendant, Nick. The instant I met him, I knew we were destined to be soul mates. Like me, he strived for an end to the war through peaceful matters rather than meaningless violence. When the war was on the brink of destroying the natural world, I announced my engagement to the prophet. Amazingly, this convinced the warring factions that none of this meaningless bloodshed was going to solve anything. We had finally earned acceptance in our world, done something no one thought possible."

Nick easily noticed the happy expression lighting Yuki's face as she told her story, but when her expression suddenly changed, he had a feeling of what was coming next.

"This is the part where things start getting hairy, right?" Nick asked.

"As perceptive as ever," Yuki noted, sighing heavily. "About two years after the prophet and I were married, a prince from one of the neighboring kingdoms arrived and attempted to romance me, not knowing that I was already spoken for. As you can imagine, the prophet didn't take too well to someone advancing on his wife. Many of these outbursts escalated into violence, only put to rest when I stepped in."

"Jealousy will do that to people," Nick noted, knowing full well what that felt like.

"After ten years of this, my husband had finally had enough of the prince of the night, and decided to do something about it. The strange thing was, before he could do anything, the prince left. Not even a word spoken against us. He just disappeared. The only message he left was 'this is not over'. I had no idea what that meant, but that was the last we saw of him for a long time."

Yuki let her hands rest over her heart. "Two hundred years passed after the prince's departure. Then, something went wrong. Our kingdom received a report of a rogue faction of dark magic users attacking the Brink."

"And the Brink is...?" Nick wondered.

Yuki just smiled. "Back then, the Brink was a sort of holy ground for our world. The Brink was a place that held the world together. If the Brink were ever to be destroyed, the world would soon follow. Now, these users of dark magic did not realize that only a being of pure darkness could ever destroy the Brink, and none of them possessed that kind of power. Regardless, I convinced our neighboring kingdoms to join us and repel the attackers. But when we arrived at the Brink, we were met with quite a surprise: the prince of the night was leading the attacking faction. And..."

Suddenly, Nick felt a bit of dread coursing through his body. "Why do I get this feeling I'm not gonna like what I'm about hear?" Nick wondered.

"That is exactly what I thought," Yuki answered. "You see, the prince of the night wasn't just leading the attack... he had brought the Shadow back with him."

Nick gasped out loud at that.

"You see, the Shadow was not just a being of pure darkness," Yuki explained. "He was an ancient god, a timeless deity who had been corrupted by the still-flowing darkness that now covered most of the world. He now believed that we were not worthy of living in this world. And though he had been weakened by his captivity, the prince of the night had given him the power he needed to release himself. Many of us died that day, including my husband..."

Nick instantly noticed the tears beginning to fall from Yuki's eyes, and walked over to wipe them away.

Yuki looked up at Nick and smiled. "Thank you, Nick. You're a lot like my husband was, you know that?"

"I can imagine," Nick responded.

"I was so devastated that day that I charged the prince relentlessly, hoping to kill the Shadow and its host together. It was a long battle, but I managed to defeat the prince. I thought that would stop the Shadow. I was terribly wrong. The next moment, the Shadow itself burst forth, no longer needing a human vessel. I knew it was hopeless, as the Shadow's power was rising with every second that passed. I knew there was no way I could defeat it as I was. There was only one option left, grim though it was. I cast my final spell, only to be used as a last resort. I released all of my strength and managed to seal the Shadow away before he could destroy the Brink, though this cost me my life. I've been wandering this world ever since, searching for someone. It's been an incredibly long journey..."

"I'm guessing that since Yuki-chan is your ancestor, that's why you can inhabit her body?" Nick wondered.

Yuki nodded again. "I can not control this body whenever I wish, but I will stay within Yuki until I am needed. And trust me, Nick, whenever you need me, I will come to your aid. I promise you."

Nick smiled, taking Yuki's hand into his own. "Okay, princess. I'll hold you to that promise."

"Thank you, Nick. There is nothing to be afraid of for now. The Shadow can not escape from his prison right now. I will watch over this world until any trouble arises. If something happens, I promise you will be the first to know," Yuki explained. "This world is not yet out of heroes. The Shadow will not have his way if I have anything to say about it."

Yuki winked at Nick before closing her eyes and relaxing her posture. When Yuki opened her eyes again, they were back to her normal shade of brown that matched Nick's eyes.

"Ugh, my head..." Yuki groaned in her normal voice. "Why does it feel like I just got ran through a blender?"

Suddenly, Yuki spun around a few times. "Hey, where's Deoxys? Did he get away?"

Nick smiled, patting Yuki on the shoulder. "Actually, Yuki-chan, you just owned him."

"All I remember before I blacked out was him charging up some insanely strong attack, and now we're here," Yuki noted. "But as long as that freak's gone, I guess it's mission complete, huh? Why don't we head home?"

Nick's good mood suddenly dropped at that. "Yuki-chan, need I remind you that we don't have a home to go back to? And I can't use the crystals to wish Misora back since we already used our one wish when I got myself killed..."

Yuki suddenly smiled. "Nick-kun, who told you that you could only make one wish on the crystals?"

A question mark appeared over Nick's head. "Huh?"

"My mom told me that the whole 'just one wish' thing was a lie that jou-sama told to keep bad men from using the crystals' power for their own ends. The crystals still have two wishes left on them this century."

"If that's true, Yuki-chan, then we just caught a lucky break," Nick stated, pulling out the seven Majokai Crystals.

"Did we seriously just walk in a complete circle?" Aiko's voice resounded as the rest of the group finally caught up. "AGH! I HATE this forest!"

"Makes it even worse that we're back in what's left of Misora," Onpu noted, wiping a few tears from her eyes.

"Wait, what's Kellysi-chan doing over there?" Fami asked.

Nick raised his hands into the air, and the crystals began spinning around him.

"Ancient Majokai Crystals..." Nick chanted. "Sacred power of the world of the witches... I have a request."

The crystals began to shine brightly as Nick said his piece.

"We just got out of a rather nasty battle, and one of the casualties was our hometown, Misora. I call upon the power of the crystals to restore Misora to its former glory!"

The crystals flashed a few times. "This... is my wish."

After Nick finished, the crystals flew away, positioning themselves over the rubble that was once Misora until Rayquaza had destroyed it.

The crystals began resonating, eventually firing a beam of brilliant white light down onto the ground below them. When the light cleared, the city of Misora was there again, as if nothing had happened to it.

"Kellysi-chan, did you just...?" Hazuki asked.

Nick just nodded. "If everything went well, no one in the city should remember what happened the past couple days. We did a good job, everybody."

Nick was suddenly glomped by Doremi. "Oh, Kellysi-chan, you're awesome!"

"Hey, I'm just doing what any self-respecting hero would do," Nick teased. "Besides, I'm the one who screwed things up and got the city destroyed, so I figured I'd do the right thing and get it back to normal."

"Anything we've gotta worry about?" Onpu wondered.

"No threats for right now," Nick answered. "We'll worry about that other guy when the time's right. With his commanding force gone, he won't be any match for all of us."

"That sounds good, but right now, I just wanna head home and get some rest," Moriko stated. "That stupid biology test is tomorrow, and..."

"ACK!" Doremi exclaimed. "I forgot I have a history test tomorrow!"

With that, Doremi shot off into town, the other Ojamajos quickly following.

"Good to see Doremi-chan hasn't changed, huh?" Hazuki giggled.

But as the Ojamajos returned to Misora, the home they had been away from for so long, the Foreseer stepped out from the shadow of a nearby tree, going unnoticed by Nick and his friends.

"Oh, poor delusional Nick, this party's only just begun," the Foreseer grinned. "Now that all of our players have awakened, the game is truly set to begin. This world will fall to chaos whether you like it or not."

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Next time:

Chapter 11: When All the Stars Were Falling

Now that Misora has been restored, the Ojamajos are getting back into their semi-normal lives. But things are about to get complicated yet again when the Foreseer pays a personal visit to Saiki and tells the night elemental of his own role in the legend of the Shadow...


	11. When All the Stars Were Falling

As unbelievable as it sounds...

The boy and his friends have triumphed.

The Elemental Ones are no more.

But this is by no means the end of their quest.

I can still sense many shadows lingering in the void.

Entities of darkness, malice and shadow, just waiting for their moment to attack and strike down their pursuers.

And then, there is him.

That strange manifestation who resembles the light prophet but is in every way his opposite.

I do not understand what he is trying to bring about.

But being that he is a servant of the Shadow, I know it can not be good.

However, there is some good in this situation.

The twilight princess has awakened in her modern body.

This signals promise.

As she herself said...

...this world is not yet out of heroes.

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(There may be forces in this world we don't understand, but I believe we make our own miracles.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:  
_Ojamajo Doremi Chronicles: Message of the Shooting Star  
_Story Created: May 30th, 2009  
This Chapter: August 19th, 2011  
Rated: T for Teen (for intense scenes, violence, and intimate moments. Basically, my usual.)

Summary: Many years ago, four elemental forces fought a great battle that nearly destroyed the world as we know it. Now, that ancient evil has returned to present day Misora, and only the Ojamajos are capable of putting an end to the madness...

On Today's Episode: Now that Misora has been restored, the Ojamajos are getting back into their semi-normal lives. But things are about to get complicated yet again when the Foreseer pays a personal visit to Saiki and tells the night elemental of his own role in the legend of the Shadow...

Disclaimer (since I know I have to put this): I don't own ANYTHING related to _Ojamajo__Doremi_, and you people know that. It belongs solely to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their country. There, now you can't sue me for it. Hahaha. I win.

Note: _Ojamajo __Doremi __Chronicles: __Message __of __the __Shooting __Star_ IS the actual title of the story, but I changed it for the site since the whole name wouldn't fit. DAMN IT

Note 2: Yuki Shinoya and her witch apprentice team, who will be appearing in this story, belong to YukiShinoya444. I DO have her permission to use her characters in my stories, just so you know.

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Chapter 11: When All the Stars Were Falling

Back in the Wizard World, Saiki was sitting on the edge of his bed, musing over recent events.

He was quite honestly surprised to see that the entire city of Misora had been completely restored as if it hadn't been destroyed by Rayquaza.

He knew instinctively that Nick was behind that, having used a wish on the Majokai Crystals.

Saiki immediately growled upon thinking of the green witch. His mind wouldn't rest until he was sure he'd put that backstabber out of his misery.

"Otouto-chan?" Akatsuki called from outside the room.

"Don't call me that, nii-chan," Saiki instantly retorted.

"Aren't you coming?" Akatsuki wondered. "Tooru-kun's gonna be dancing."

"I... I'm not really feeling that well after what happened," Saiki half-lied. "I just need some rest and I'll be fine."

Akatsuki fell silent, accepting that response and moving away.

The younger prince stared at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity. Why was he feeling like this? Though he didn't like what Nick had done, he knew he never usually resorted to such violence. So why did Saiki feel like he wanted to be the one to personally send the green witch to a permanent stay in Tartarus? This usually was so unlike him...

"It's because of what's happened in the past."

"Who's there?" Saiki exclaimed, instantly leaping to his feet and surrounding his hands with dark energy.

He cast his gaze to the other side of the room and saw that Nick was standing there.

Wait. This wasn't Nick.

"Hey, who the hell are you?" Saiki growled, still in a defensive stance.

"My dear prince, I am the Foreseer," the figure responded. "I come from the ancient days to bring you a message."

"Why do you look like Nick-kun?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"All right, let's just get down to business," Saiki shot back. "Why are you here?"

The Foreseer smiled wickedly. _Oh, __this __is __going __to __be __easier __than __I __thought. __With __his __mind __addled __as __it __is, __all __I __have __to __do __is __twist __the __legend __around __a __bit __so __I __can __set __this __boy __against __that __accursed __light __prophet __whenever __I __need __him __to. __This __should __prove __very __entertaining._

"As I have said, I am from the ancient days, during the time of the Shadow," the Foreseer started explaining. "I am the dark half of the light prophet, the ancestor of the boy you know as Nick. Despite the fact that I am the dark half, I have good intentions and only wish to save this world. I came to tell you of something very important. Back in the ancient days, your ancestor, the prince of the night, was in a very close relationship with the twilight princess, the ancestor of that Shinoya girl. But when my light side discovered her, he went all-out to please her. This eventually worked, and the two fell in love and got married. But the light prophet eventually grew bored with the relationship and left the world. A few hundred years later, I found out that he brought the spirit of the Shadow back with him to ravage the world."

"Wait, WHAT?" Saiki exclaimed, unable to believe what he was hearing. "So, you're saying that my ancestor's love was stolen away by Nick-kun's ancestor, and that Nick-kun's ancestor was the one who brought the Shadow into the world?"

"Precisely," the Foreseer replied, pretending he was concerned. _Shidoosha, __you__'__re __making __this __all __too __easy..._

"So THAT'S what this is all about!" Saiki growled, a vicious dark aura beginning to surround him. "Nick-kun's trying to recreate what happened before! He wants to steal Yuki-chan from me and bring the Shadow back to finish what he couldn't before!"

"I'm afraid my light half has been corrupted by the darkness flowing through him," the Foreseer lied. "He must be stopped before he can bring the Shadow back. And you are the only one that can stop him."

"Oh, that settles it," Saiki about screamed. "I swear I'm going to send that bastard on a one-way trip to Tartarus."

"Please, hurry before it's too late," the Foreseer gasped, trying to sound desperate. Saiki just nodded, wrapping himself in a cloak of dark energy and disappearing.

When no one was within earshot, the Foreseer began to laugh maniacally.

"Oh, Shidoosha, you and your gullible mind," the Foreseer laughed. "I should have done this ages ago. Now I have a smart and reliable way of taking that brat out of the picture without even having to lift a finger. This is going to be more fun than I thought."

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Doremi looked down at her history test, wondering why she'd even signed up for this class.

Yuki couldn't help but giggle at Doremi's cute look.

"She's not the only one who doesn't like history, huh?" Yuki asked Nick, who was sitting right next to her.

"She's probably thinking she should have been excluded from this one, considering we just saved the whole city," Nick responded, keeping his voice down so no one would hear that last part.

"But considering that no one even remembers that the city got destroyed in the first place," Yuki answered, "it's kinda getting on Do-chan's nerves."

"Good to see that she hasn't changed much, huh?" Nick laughed.

"Shinoya?" Seki-sensei asked from her seat by the chalkboard. "Could you answer the next question for us?"

"Easy as pie, sensei!" Yuki giggled.

Just then, the classroom door slammed itself open.

Nick was the first to tense up, but was surprised to not see anyone at the door.

Out of curiosity, Nick stood up and walked to the now-open door, looking at both sides of the hallway. He didn't see anyone.

"Huh."

"Everything okay, Kelly?" Seki-sensei asked.

"Guess it was just a prank," Nick thought.

No one in the class seemed to notice that Yuki had just twitched, her eyes shifting to a blue-green shade.

Before Nick could turn around, however, Seki-sensei suddenly realized that someone wasn't in the classroom.

"Hey, has anyone seen Saiki-san?" Seki-sensei asked curiously.

At that very instant, something slammed into the side of Nick's face, sending him flying harshly into the opposite wall. Everyone in the classroom gasped in shock at this.

Nick had just regained his balance when he noticed who had just slugged him with that right hook.

"Oh, no, not you again," Nick growled upon noticing Saiki himself standing in the doorway, his hands brimming with dark energy.

"Shidoosha?" Kotake quipped. "Your brother said you weren't feeling good today..."

Saiki didn't hear Kotake's statement, his mind only focused on Nick.

"You son of a bitch," Saiki growled.

"Look, Saiki-kun, I really don't have time for any of this today," Nick shot back, hoping to avoid an incident like the one from the other day. "So if you wouldn't mind..."

Once again, fate was not kind to Nick.

Saiki rushed forward faster than he ever thought possible, slamming both of his glowing hands into Nick's chest, the impact creating a large radial shockwave that sent Nick crashing into the wall again.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that," Nick growled, shifting into fighting stance.

However, the instant Nick rushed at his opponent...

"_Kurai __Kairai!__"_ Saiki exclaimed, flicking his hands out and unleashing strands of dark energy from his fingers, each strand attaching to Nick and immobilizing him.

_Damn __it, __I __was __hoping __he __wouldn__'__t __use __that,_ Nick thought, struggling to break free from the puppetry spell.

Saiki didn't waste any time in heaving the dark strings upwards and slamming Nick into the ceiling, then back down onto the ground, each impact causing the room to quake a bit.

Once Nick had been released, Saiki continued his relentless attack by surrounding his fist with darkness and performing a powerful uppercut (resisting the rather inappropriate urge to shout "SHORYUKEN" as he did so) that socked Nick in the jaw, almost bending his head back at an unnatural angle, though Nick managed to avoid that undersight.

Saiki quickly followed this up with a kick to Nick's stomach area that forced him back on the classroom's opposite wall.

Before Nick could even react, Saiki had come back with another foot to his chest, this impact actually sending Nick crashing through the classroom wall and flying out into the stands that adorned the opposite end of the football field, which was currently being used by the soccer team.

As Nick flew headlong into the stands, a lot of the soccer players gasped in shock as Nick climbed out of the wrecked seats, his damage obvious.

"All right, THAT'S IT!" Nick shouted, no longer caring who saw this. He flicked his right hand to his side, and Hanyou Hikari materialized in it.

"Hey, did Kellysi-kun just make a sword out of nothing?" Tamaki asked curiously.

"I'm through playing games, Saiki-kun," Nick stated, making his intentions clear. "What in god's name do I have to do to get through to you?"

Saiki just shook his head before charging.

Just as Nick was going to slash at the night elemental, Saiki had disappeared.

As Nick gazed around, trying to get a bead on Saiki's movements, the younger prince appeared out of nowhere and slammed his fist into Nick's stomach, instantly dazing him.

Saiki almost immediately followed this up with a double scissor kick that sent Nick back into the classroom through the large hole.

Saiki walked in and picked Nick up off the ground, holding him threateningly by his shirt collar.

"I know what you're really after now, you little son of a bitch," Saiki growled.

"Listen to yourself, Saiki-kun," Nick shot back, hoping to avoid a repeat of the last time this had happened. "How many times do I have to repeat myself? I had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with what happened to Yuki-chan! If you'd get it through your thick head and listen to me before you start going bananas on everything in sight..."

"I'm through with listening to your lies," Saiki sneered, an expression of pure rage on his face. "I'm done with you now."

Saiki tossed Nick a couple feet into the air, then spun around and smashed his fist into Nick's face, this motion forcing Nick through the open doorway and into the lockers outside.

Not even noticing the students' panicked expressions, Saiki drew both of his hands behind him, dark energy charging in both of his palms. After a few seconds, he lifted both of his hands high above his head, waves emanating from the energy balls.

"Let's see you survive this one!" Saiki shouted, the energy in his hands appearing to grow more chaotic with each second he concentrated.

Not wasting any more time, Saiki put his hands together, his dark aura flaring wildly.

"Now go to hell and STAY THERE!" Saiki screamed, pushing his hands forward. An immense burst of aura energy erupted from his hands and began slashing mercilessly at Nick's vulnerable form, surprisingly not utterly destroying the wall or lockers he was pinned against. It was almost as if Saiki was focusing this attack on only hurting Nick.

After about ten seconds of this, Saiki's beam dispersed and he looked over at the unconscious Nick, satisfied that he had done what he'd set out to do. He wrapped himself in a cloak of energy and disappeared.

As the rest of the class looked on in shock, Yuki was the first to take action, hopping out of her seat and rushing over to the out-of-commission Nick.

"I'll get him to the nurse, Seki-sensei," Yuki stated before scooping the green witch into her arms and racing down the hallway.

About halfway there, Nick regained consciousness, looking up at Yuki. "Princess?" Nick asked.

Yuki looked down at Nick, her now blue-green eyes indicating that the ancient twilight princess was in control of the black witch's body.

"Are you feeling all right?" Yuki asked, her voice different now.

"What the heck just happened?" Nick wondered.

"You got waylaid by the younger Shidoosha sibling," Yuki answered. "He seemed very angry at you for some reason."

"That son of a bitch thinks I did something to his relationship with you," Nick replied, still trying to shake off a pounding headache. "He's too stubborn to let me explain that the Shadow is the one who messed with things, and he's been trying to kill me ever since."

"Maybe your queen can help us," Yuki answered.

Nick was about to be confused, but quickly realized that since the twilight princess was sharing her consciousness with Yuki, she must have gained all of Yuki's memories in the process.

"Hopefully, because I think we may need some help," Nick continued.

Once the two of them reached the nurse's office, Yuki set Nick down on his feet so he could open the door.

"Yes?" Miss Yuki asked in her pleasant way before seeing Nick's battered self. "Oh my gosh, what happened?"

"That boy attacked him again," Yuki responded, her eyes and voice back to normal now.

"We're still in a predicament, aren't we?" Miss Yuki asked. Nick and the Ojamajos were the only ones in the school who knew that Miss Yuki was actually the queen of the Majokai.

"We destroyed the Elemental Ones," Nick stated. "But I've got this feeling that our story's not over yet."

Miss Yuki nodded. "Indeed, this is only the opening chapter to this story. I can sense dark shadows forming all around us. We'll have to be on our guard for a while."

"Luckily, we have some help now," Nick responded. "The twilight princess has our backs."

"The twilight princess? From the ancient legends?" Miss Yuki gasped.

Before Yuki could ask what that meant, however, a loud rumble shook the office.

"What the heck was that?" Yuki shouted.

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Doremi collapsed to the floor; that cheap shot to her stomach had really hurt.

"All right..." Doremi groaned, slowly getting to her feet. "Who's got the nerve, hitting a pretty girl like that?"

When Doremi managed to adjust her vision enough, she saw something that really weirded her out.

She was staring at herself, it seemed. But this strange clone seemed to be a little off-color, her hair pure black, though tied up in Doremi's signature hair buns. Her clothes were even the same clothes that Doremi herself was wearing, though a much darker color.

"Wha...?" Doremi asked.

"Don't seem to understand, huh?" the off-color clone commented in a voice that definitely sounded like. "I guess I can bring you up to speed before I send you to a permanent stay in Tartarus. Me and my comrades are the shadows of you and your fellow witches. We've been commanded by the Shadow himself to wipe you out of existence so you can't be a threat to his plans anymore."

"Isn't that sporting of him?" Doremi stated sarcastically.

"Now, miss Harukaze, let's see if you can show any skill before I kill you."

With that, Shadow Doremi rushed forward and drew her weapon, a very creepy-looking sword. Doremi was barely able to bring her wand out in time to block the strike.

"You're cheap, lady!" Doremi shouted, adding some pressure and forcing her shadow self back.

But Shadow Doremi didn't seem at all fazed by this, staying on her feet with an almost un-Doremi-like grace; she seemed to be, logically for being a shadow, everything that Doremi herself wasn't.

"Yes, I'm cheap," Shadow Doremi giggled. "But that's why I like it."

"Then I guess I'm going to have to step it up," Doremi responded, reaching for her transformation pendant that rested on the center of her school uniform (Doremi was quite surprised that everyone in school considered it a cute locket). Not wasting a second, Doremi slammed a hand onto the pendant, causing her to be covered in a cocoon of bright pink light. When it cleared, Doremi had transformed into her witch form.

"Am I glad we're on lunch break," Doremi giggled before striking her post-henshin pose.

_"The gleaming ruby, Doremi-chi!"_

"Aren't you worried that someone here will recognize you as a witch?" Shadow Doremi taunted.

"I'll worry about that after I take care of you," Doremi quipped, her wand at the ready.

"Oh, we'll see if you keep spouting your nonsensical gibberish after I carve you up like a roast turkey," Shadow Doremi growled before charging forward.

Doremi instantly met blades with her shadow counterpart, trading strike after strike and taking their battle down the strangely abandoned hallway.

"You're persistent, aren't you?" Shadow Doremi growled.

"I may be the unluckiest pretty girl in the world, but I'm just as persistent as I ever was," Doremi giggled. Taking advantage of a moment of distraction, the pink witch managed to shove her shadow self away so she could ready her wand for a trick the queen had recently taught her.

Doremi closed her eyes in concentration as her wand began to glow brightly.

"_Bloom, __Yamazakura!__"_ Doremi shouted, her wand flashing and changing into something different. It was now a weapon similar to Nick's weapon, Hanyou Hikari, but the blade was a long, sharp leaf, and two cherry blossoms were hanging from the hilt.

"Oh, that's something new," Shadow Doremi remarked.

"Now let's see if those lessons Kellysi-chan gave me paid off," Doremi noted before rushing at her shadow clone.

Shadow Doremi had been so surprised by this that she couldn't get her own weapon up in time to defend herself. Doremi swung Yamazakura a few times, doing serious damage to her shadow self with each strike.

After a bit of this, Doremi hopped back a few feet and readied her new weapon, the blade beginning to glow a bright pink.

"I... I guess I underestimated you, Harukaze..." Shadow Doremi quipped.

"Yes, you did," Doremi quipped, her weapon being surrounded by sakura pedals. "Now you can go tell that Shadow person and his goons that we will NEVER stop fighting for our future!"

Doremi raised Yamazakura above her head, ready to finish this poser.

"_Blossom __Strike!__"_ Doremi shouted, bringing Yamazakura down hard, creating an energy blade that sliced through Shadow Doremi. The off-color clone fell to her knees.

"The Shadow will reign supreme!" Shadow Doremi shouted before exploding into a cloud of sakura pedals that quickly dissipated.

Doremi winked to nobody in particular before letting her weapon revert back to her wand.

"Dojimi? That you?"

Doremi gasped in shock, turning around to see that Kotake was standing there.

"Hey, did you make that outfit?" Kotake asked. "It looks cute on you."

Doremi couldn't help but blush at that statement. "Mostly. Kellysi-chan helped me a bit with some of the details."

"Is that what you're going as for Halloween?" Kotake asked.

"You could say that."

Just then, the end-of-lunch bell rang.

"Oh, I gotta get to class now. Later, Dojimi!" Kotake shouted as he rushed off. When he was out of sight, Doremi breathed a sigh of relief before snapping her fingers, reverting back to her normal self.

_That __was __too __close,_ Doremi thought, heading off to her next class as well.

"Doremi-chan!"

Doremi turned around and saw Nick and Yuki rushing up to her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Yuki exclaimed, running over and glomping the pink witch.

"Couldn't be better, Yuki-chan," Doremi giggled. "I just owned one of the Shadow's goons."

"Really? All by yourself?" Yuki asked.

"No problem!" Doremi proclaimed.

"Guess those lessons I gave you paid off after all, huh, Doremi-chan?" Nick quipped, affectionately patting Doremi's shoulder.

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Doremi exclaimed, causing all three to burst out laughing.

Far down the hallway, unseen by anyone passing by, the Foreseer had been watching the entire battle between Doremi and her shadow self.

"So, they know how to defeat their shadow selves," the Foreseer noted. "Oh, well, no matter. This was only round one. We'll see how they play when the big boss makes his first appearance."

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Next time:

Chapter 12: A View From Atop the World

With the Ojamajos' shadow selves waiting in the wings, they won't be able to let their guard down for a second. But as the adventure continues, Nick pays a personal visit to Majorin for some clarification on a specific part of the ancient legend. And Saiki learns from the Foreseer just who the "big boss" he mentioned actually is, but with this new information in hand, how long will it be until Saiki realizes the truth about what is REALLY going on?


End file.
